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THE 

WORLD IN SNAP SHOTS 

OR 

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


REMINISCENCES FROM A 

JOURNEY AROUND THE GLOBE 

THROUGH EUROPE, ASIA AND AMERICA 


ELEVEN WEEKS WITH THE MISSIONARIES 

BOERRESEN AND SKREFSRUD 



> 

K. B. BIRKELAND 




THE 

Sbbeg Stress 

PUBLISHERS 

114 

FIFTH AVENUE 

Condon NEW YORK montreal 



(x-^R 0 


THf LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two CO»>ie<6 ReC»VCD' 

DEC. n 1902 

CnPVWlOWT iWTRt 
CLASS O/ie^Hfk. 
oopy B. 


Copyright, i<>o*. 
by 

THE 


jHbbev Preee 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Baked Potatoes 31 

Port Said 53 

Railway Depot, Bombay. ,. 79 

Musicians in India ‘ 84 

Railway Travel in India. . . w, . . . ; 87 

Shaving in India.... ; loi 

A Hindu Girl 102 

A Lady’s Footwear .*. .:v 103 

Heathen Children 112 

Ebenezer, seen from the Church Tower 113 

Benagaria 115 

Rice-field in front of the Seminary 116 

The Residence of Boerresen and Skrefsrud 117 

The Girls’ School, seen from the Seminary 119 

School Girls 120 

School Boys 12 1 

In the Boys’ School Yard 123 

The Water Tanks 129 

Ebenezer, from the Rear 134 

The Church Building, seen from the Garden 136 

Church Building and Congregation 141 

Tea Festival 147 

Mr. Boerresen and Native Evangelists. . . ; 151 

Saphadoa 165 

Fishing in the River 175 

A Cart 187 

Rev. Sunna, his young Bride and Brides-Maids 191 


6 


LIST OF ILLtrSTRATIONS. 


pa6e 

The House of an Evangelist 198 

Girls Fetching Water 199 

A Wedding Party 227 

'Different Ways of Saluting 285 

View of the Market-Place 393 

The Market-Place at Ebenezer 395 

A .Blacksmith Shop 399 

Weaving 400 

A Liquor Shop - 403 

L. O. Skrefsrud 417 

In Court 423 

The Seminary 427 

Mrs. Boerresen’s School for Girls 437 

On the Wedding Day 445 

‘The Memorial Well” 455 

Pavillion of Turka 465 

Fortress at Agra ' 470 

Balcony in the Palace 471 

Sikindra, Akbar’s Mausoleum 472 

Gateway at Sikindra 473 

Taj Mahal 479 

The Interior of the Taj Mahal 481 

An Entrance to the Fortress 485 

Jumma Mosque 487 

Benares 495 

Ganesa . , 503 

A Hindu Priest 508 

The Burning Ghat 512 

Carpenter Worshipping his Tools 526 

Bathing in the Ganges 529 

Holy Men on the Banks of the Ganges 537 

A Fakir 540 

A Devotee 541 

A Street Scene in Benares 545 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 7 

PAGE 

The Serpent Charmer 548 

Shri Swami Bhaskarandaji Saraswati 558 

The Monkey Temple 565 

A Holy Man 569 

Worshipping the Serpent 571 

A River Steamer 584 

On the Ganges 587 

Church Building and Congregation in Assam 589 

In the Tea Plantation 593 

Station Building and Church in Assam 595 

Village of Takurpura 596 

Transplanting Tea 597 

Work in the Tea Factory 615 

The Banyan Tree in the Botanical Garden in Calcutta 619 

A Street in Penang 627 

Malays 628 

The Travelers Palm 629 

Entrance to the Government Building in Singapore 631 

Various Kinds of Fruit 633 

The Harbor of HongKong 638 

A Street in HongKong 640 

Opium Smoking 645 

Shanghai 655 

The Harbor of Nagasaki 664 

The Bronze-Horse Temple at Nagasaki 665 

Jinrikisha 666 

A Japanese Kitchen 667 




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INDEX 


Page. 

FIRST CHAPTER. 

Leaving Home. — In the Steerage. — Our Young Men. — 
Home to Mother. — Disappointments 17 


SECOND CHAPTER. 

Liverpool has Washed Itself. — The Slave-Trade and Smug- 
gling gave the City a Start. — BarenFooted in the Snow. — 

In the Railway Car. — The Sights of London. — Baked Po- 
tatoes. — Ugly Vehicles. — Lack of Artistic Taste in the Show 
Windows. — In the Public Houses. — At the Meat Shops. — 

The English Policeman. — London’s Sanctuary. — In Another 
Church 25 


THIRD CHAPTER. 

In Paris. — The French Cafee. — The Gabbatha of France. — 


Place de la Bastille. — Marseilles. — The French Soldier. — An 
Acrobat in a Flourishing Trade 37 

FOURTH CHAPTER. 

Through the Mediterranean. — At Port Said. — An Old Jug- 
gler. — Like a Worm in an Ant-Hill. — Blind Men. — The 
Canal. — The Red Sea. — Aden. — Divers 49 


FIFTH CHAPTER. 

Good Company. — An American Missionary. — A Movement 
Among the Students. — Death and Funeral. — Dancing 64 

SIXTH CHAPTER. 

In Bombay. — Helping Hands. — A Poor Selection. — A New 
Guide. — Number One Returned. — The Bill of Fare, Waiter, 
Wind-Maker, etc. — The Parsis. — A Modern School. 

. [ 9 ] 


71 


lO 


INDEX 


SEVENTH CHAPTER. 


Page. 


An Annoying Night. — Precaution Against the Bubonic 
Plague. — A Gruesome Incident. — Wild Beasts. — Poisonous 
Snakes. — In the Valley of the Ganges. — The same as in Days 
of Old. — Big Tobacco Pipes. — Monotonous Villages. — Artifi- 
cial Irrigation 85 


EIGHTH CHAPTER. 

Where I am Going. — One Day Alone in a Hindu Village. 
— In the Washing-Pond. — Shaving. — Trading-Booths. — 


Jewelry. — Cleanliness. — A Soothsayer 96 

NINTH CHAPTER. 

The Results of a Telegram. — A Native Physician. — A 
European Physician. — Eight Men Pulling My Cariole. — My 
First Impression of Santhalistan 107 

TENTH CHAPTER. 


Ebenezer. — Evening Prayers. — “The Christmas House.” 

To the Woods for a Christmas Tree. — Skrefsrud Cuts Off a 
Pagans Pig-Tail. — A Violent Struggle. — The Ants Were Eaten, 

' — Christmas Eve 115 

ELEVENTH CHAPTER. 

A Fine Christmas Morning. — A Church Bell. — “Is Not 
This Peace?” — In Church 137 

TWELFTH CHAPTER. 

Communion. — New Year’s Festival. — Tea Festival. — 
Church Work. — Monthly Meeting. — Work Carried on by Na- 
tives. — How Christians Care for the Poor 145 

THIRTEENTH CHAPTER. 

In the Palanquin. — A Native Poet. — Haripur. — For the 
Sake of the Heathen. — Mercy, Not Sacrifice 161 

' FOURTEENTH CHAPTER. 

A Charming Sunset. — Homesickness. — An Evening With 
the Natives. — Intolerable Music. — A Fishing Expedition. — 
Hunting 169 


INDEX 


II 


Page. 

FIFTEENTH CHAPTER. 

In Basethkundi. — Chet Kana? — A Pair of Shoes. — Have 
You a Wife? — A Queer School-Master 178 

SIXTEENTH CHAPTER. 

Ranga. — Creaking Vehicles. — A Surly Station Leader. — 

A Powerless Head-Man. — We Obtained Carriers. — Chandupur. 

— A Lazy Catechist. — With Sodding. — Back to Ehenezer 186 

SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER. 

Wisdom. — Zeal Without Knowledge. — The Missionary Must 
Learn from the Heathen. — The Heathen Knows of God. — The 
Testimony of Bishop Thoburn. — Idea of Right and Wrong. — 
Skrefsrud at the Feet of a Native 194 

EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER. 

The Traditions of the Santhals. — The Creation of the 
World. — The Origin of Man. — Haram and Ajo. — The Pall. — 

The Origin of Liquor. — The Increase of the Race. — The Deluge. 

— Wandering About. — The Age of Hardships. — Mando Sing. 

Decay 201 


NINETEENTH CHAPTER. 

Heathen. — Baptism. — Illegitimate Children. — Confirma- 
tion. — Branding 210 

TWENTIETH CHAPTER. 

Marriage. — Preparations. — Good Omens. — The Girl is 
Called Upon. — Her Parents See the Young Man. — His House 
is Visited. — Betrothal. — Partial Payment of the Price of the 
Bride. — Nuptials. — Comprehensive Preparations. — ‘‘Water 
Wedding”. — Molasses Given to the Bridegroom. — The Bride- 
groom Conducted to the Bride’s Home. — The Washing of the 
Feet at Every Door, etc. — Wedding. — Distribution of Gifts. — 
“The Vegetables” are Gathered. — The Bride is Given Away. — 

In the Bridegroom’s Village. — The Young Woman Put to 
Work. — Rules of Conduct for Her. — Visits 216 

TWENTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 

The Marriage of Poor People. — Widows and Divorced Per- 
sons. — They Are United. — Marriage for Love. — Arbitrary 


12 


INDEX 


Page. 

Marriages. — Revenge. — “Saving the Young Man’s Head”. — 


Concubines. --- Elopements. — Banishment 236 

TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 

Divorce. — Excommunication. — Re-admission 244 

TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 

At the Home of His Parents. — Friction. — Friendship. — 

Old People and Grand-Children. — Dividing the Family. — In- 
heritance. — Independent Housekeeping. — The House. — Do- 


mestic Animals. — Clothes. — Ornaments. — The Man’s Work. 

— “Sitting Days”. — Industries. — Agriculture. — The Harvest. 

— The Occupation of the Women. — A Days Program. — 
Cooking. — Male Assistance. — The Occupation of the Children. 

— The Boys. — The Girls. — Plays 250 

TWENTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 

Conjugal Life. — Peculiar Women. — Peculiar Men. — Pa- 
rents and Children. — Servants. — Wages. — Sickness. — 


Quacks. — Sorcerers. — Friendship and Relationship. — Mutual 
Help. — Ingratitude. — The Refuge of Wronged Wives. — Rights 
of Inheritance ’ 260 


TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 

The Village. — Search for a New Place. — Good and Bad 
Omens. — How to Build a Village. — The Sacred Grove. — The 
Gods Choose Their Places. — The Head-Man’s Residence. — 
Election of Priests. — Covenants with the Gods. — Village 
Government. — The Head-Man. — The Paranik. — The Super- 
intendent of Morals. — The Village Messenger. — The Priest. 

— The Field-Priest. — Distribution 269 

TWENTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 

Village Life. — Wealth and Poverty. — Usurers. — Laziness. 

The Diligent are Prosperous. — Worthy Poor. — With or Without 
Fear of the “Evil Eye”. — Mutual Help. — With or Without 
Interest. — Co-operation. — Mlitual Visits. — Relationship. 
Conduct and Tokens of Honor. — Modesty. — The Times are 
Bad. — “Women and Children Rule the World”. — The Courts 
Swayed by Money. — Intimate Friendship. — Unity 278 


INDEX 


13 


Page. 

TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 

Traits of Character. — Pride. — Anger and Fretfulness. 


— Jealousy. — Envy. — Hate and Vindictiveness. — Business. 

— Buying and Selling. — Debt and Loans 289 

twenty-eighth chapter. 

Amusements and Sports. — Singing and Dancing. — Drink- 
ing. — Anecdotes and Fables. — Mimicry. — Fishing — Distri- 
bution of the Catch. — Fish Traps 294 

TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 

Hunting. — Brave Men. — Preparations. — Sacrifices. — The 


Responsibility of the Priest. — To The Woods. — When an Ani- 
mal is Killed. — Cowardice. — ‘"Figs”. — Hunting Council. — Su- 
preme Court. — The Hunt Continued. — Division of the Game. . . 299 

THIRTIETH CHAPTER. 

Three Kinds of Councils. — European Laws. — Increasing 
Mendaciousness. — Ridiculous Oaths. — Different Crimes. — 

The Bengalis 309 


THIRTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 

Religion and Worship. — The Day-God. — A Married Couple. 

— Devoured All His Sons. — Different Gods. — Sacrifices. — The 
Festival of the First Fruits. — Janthar Sohrae. — Busy Time for 
the Priest. — “Blessing the Cows.” — Ox Dance, etc. — Sakrat. 

— Thatching Festival. — Flower Festival. — Impersonating 

Gods. — Sacrificing Their Own Blood. — Family Gods. — Too 
Many Gods, etc 316 

THIRTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 

Superstition. — Witches. — Have Many Pupils. — “Eat” 
People. — The Devil Fooled. — Secrecy. — “The Evil Eye”. — 
Digging up Gods. — The God of the Parents-In-Laa. — Exor- 
cising Gods. — Santhal Fairies. — Gods That Reveal Themselves. 
Ghosts. — Names Must Not be Mentioned 333 

THIRTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 

Death. — Burning of the Dead. — The Bones. — Comfort of 
the Survivors. — Purification. — The Sacred River. — Final 
Obsequies. — The Other World 352 


14 


INDEX 


THIRTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 


Page. 


The Rebellion. — In the Clutches of Money-Lenders. — All 
Kinds of Rumors. — Breaking Out of the Rebellion. — Leaders 
Delivered to the Enemy. — Suffering and Hardships. — Under 
European Supremacy 364 


THIRTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 

Something for Mr. Skrefsrud. — Tallies With the Bible. — 
Good Connecting Points. — The Devil Supreme. — Difficult Posi- 


tion of Witches. — Foes. — European Jurisprudence. — A Suf- 
fering, Friendless People. — Mr. Skrefsrud Narrates 370 

THIRTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 

Chandray. — Against Rats and Dogs. — A Swindler Caught. 

— Slow Work. — Butter-Making. — An Old Watchman. — Im- 
pudent Crows. — Medical Treatment. — Mr. Boerresen as a Phy- 
sician. — A Poor Selection. — Nimai 381 

THIRTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 


At the Market Place. — A Syrup Merchant. — Merchandise. 

— Tobacco. — Pan. — Santhal Industries. — When the Machine 
Said ‘‘Click’^ 392 

THIRTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 

A Trip with Mr. Skrefsrud. — Struggle Against Intemper- 
ance. — A Woman’s Rebellion. — A Perjurer. — In th Ox-Cart. 

The Bungalow. — In Suri. — Kerap Saheb Caused a Stir. — 

In the Court-Room. — A Man of Many Complaints.. 402 

THIRTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 

Mr. Skrefsrud’s Birthday. — A Strange Life. — Mr. Skrefsrud 
as a Peace-Maker. — With the Magistrate 416 

FORTIETH CHAPTER. 

School for Christian Children. — A Small Beginning. — Eng- 
lish Abandoned. — Physical Labor. — High-School Plan Aban- 
doned ’ 426 

FORTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 

School for Girls. — The Condition of Santhal Women. — 

Mrs. Boerresen’s School. — Spring Life. — Harvest. — Piety. — 
Discipline. — Care of the Sick. — Seeds of Christian Life 436 


INDEX 


15 

Page. 


FORTY-S'EJCOND CHAPTER. 

Indian Railways. — Cawnpur. — The Rebellion of 1857. — 

The Massacre 450 

FORTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 

Lucknow. — An Awkward Position. — Overcrowded Hotels. 

— The Seige of 1857. — High Prices. — At the Ruins of the 

English Residency. — Kalsomined Palaces. — The Bazaars of 
Lucknow 457 

FORTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 

Agra. — Moonlight. — Akbar the Great. — Taj Mahal 469 

FORTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 

Punjab. — Delhi. — The Royal Palaces. — The Jumma 
Mosque. — A Monkey Mother. — Fine Work. — The Seige of 
1857 483 

FORTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 

Benares. — Many Pilgrims. — An Experiment. — A Boat- 
Ride on the Ganges. — At the Burning Ghat. — Horrifying! — 

At the Marini-Karnika Well. — The Purse a Weak Spot. 493 

FORTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 

A Modest Waiter. — A Fell Dream. — Burning of the Dead. 

— Burning of Widows. — Desperate Condition of Widows 510 

FORTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 

In the Throng. — Bathing in the Ganges. — Abominable!.. 525 
FORTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 

Many Gods. — The Indian Fakirs. — Jugglers. — A Solution. 

— For Spiritualists and Theosophists 535 

FIFTIETH CHAPTER. 

A Remarkable Deity 557 

FIFTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 

The Monkey Temple. — The Well of Knowledge. — Animal 
Worship. — Transmigration of The Soul 564 

FIFTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 

Caste 573 


i6 


INDEX 


FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 


Page. 


To Assam. — The Scotch. — A Pensioned Judge. — The 
Ganges and Bramaputra. — An Irksome Ride. — Thinking of 
Bread and Tea. — In the Christian Colony. — The Medical Art. 

— Three Lives Sacrificed. — Oh the Tea Plantation. — A Photo- 
grapher. — The Soil. — Rain. — Famine 582 


FIFTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 

Good-by to Santhalistau. — Contradictory Testimony 
about the Mission. — Have Christianity and Paganism a Com- 
mon Origin? — Calcutta. — Many Monuments. — England and 
India 604 


FIFTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 

A Cattle Steamer. — A Prompt Board of Health. — An In- 
teresting Frenchman. — Irish Stew. — In Penang. — In Singa- 
pore. — Time for Our Departure Changed. — Extra Consumption 
of Coal. — One Hour Too Late 623 

FIFTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 

The Easter Holidays in Hongkong. — Soldiers and Warships. 

— Drunkenness Among Our Warriors. — Comfortable Vehicles. 

— Swift Runners. — The Police of Hongkong. — Mendacity. — 

Small Boats Used as Dwellings 636 


FIFTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 

Opium. — A Devilish Mission. — The English Government 
in the Role of Opium Smuggler. — A Heathen Government Con- 
fiscates Queen Victoria’s Opium. — The Opium War. — Warn- 
ings 644 


FIFTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 

In Shanghai. — Eating With Sticks. — The Chinaman’s 
Sense of Beauty. — Small Feet. — Christian Missionaries in 
Chinese Dress. — The Late Rebellion. — Locating the Responsi- 
bility 456 


FIFTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 

Japan and the Japanese. — The Cause of the Enterprising 
Spirit of the Japanese. — Two Wednesdays in One Week. — 
Conclusion , 663 


FIRST CHAPTER. 


Leaving Home.— In the Steerage. — Our Young Men.— Honie to 
Mother. — Disappointments. 

Now-a-days it is no great achievement to travel 
around the globe. It may be accomplished by any block- 
head having money with which to buy a ticket. 

But even in our age it will be found teeming with in- 
conveniences by those who are not blessed with a long 
purse. If you have money to scatter broadcast you only 
need to be on hand in order to be kept moving about 
without friction. But if your purse is slim you may 
as well be prepared to let your physical man suffer now 
and then without wincing. 

A person can travel just as rapidly in a second class 
car as in a Pullman palace car, and the pain in the back 
and the limbs which is caused by a two days’ confine- 
ment and lack of motion soon passes away or is forgot- 
ten in grappling with other adversities. This has been 
my experience in this country on former occasions. Ac- 
cordingly my spirits were quite buoyant when I said 
good-by to my family and left Minneapolis on the eleventh 
of November, 1898, and started for the Orient. 

[ 17 ] 


i8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The distance between Minneapolis and Chicago was 
covered in the night, and I saw nothing to write about. 
My observations between Chicago and New York were 
interesting to me; but enough has already been written 
on that subject by others. 

In New York I saw many sky-scrapers and great 
parks. But we of the Northwest may justly boast of such 
things, too. There was any amount of foul air and high 
prices. But if I write about these things the people in 
the Northwest will hardly believe me. 

An Irishman standing at a corner was scolding his 
wife, who begged him to let her have some money before 
he spent it for drink. I have met many of his brothers 
even in Minneapolis. 

There are many narrow streets in New York, and that 
city is behind the modern cities of the West in many other 
respects. But you must not mention that to the boys 
down there, or you may get yourself into trouble; for to 
them there is nothing in the wide, wide world that is so 
great and so perfect as Greater New York. 

Having spent two days of rest with my old friends 
and school-mates, the Revs. Hegge and Tollefsen, of 
Brooklyn, and having accompanied them on a visit to 
Rev. Rue, in Staten Island, I embarked on the sixteenth 
of November in the Majestic, of the White Star Line. 

A first class steamer, an able crew, blameless stewards 
and edible food — for those who relish it. 

But only a steerage accomodation ! Well, my berth 




. IN THE STEERAGE 


19 


was passable. It would be a pity to complain of it. But 
dear me, what people ! 

Far be it from m.e, however, to wrong anybody. Per- 
mit me to make an explanation. The emigrants (I flocked 
with them, though I did not emigrate), upon embarking, 
are divided up into three classes, namely : 

1. Family people, 

2. Single men, and 

3. Unmarried women. 

Each of these classes has a certain part of the ship 
assigned to it. The families are located amidships, where 
everything looks neat and comfortable and where the 
children are rapidly blending into one great family. The 
single men, of which class my humble person was made 
a member, were directed to the aft part of the steamer. 

Here people could live comfortably if they only wanted 
to. To be sure, the bed is hard, and at times the food is 
indigestible. But if you are kind to the stewards and slip 
a dollar-piece into the hand of one of them he will gladly 
find an exceptionally good hair mattress for you, and a 
trifling investment will also bring better food. 

But an untoward fate willed that we should have as 
companions a few people whose sum total of sublunar 
happiness seemed to be to indulge in coarse, obscene lan- 
guage and abominable gestures. These are the ones who 
make a life of travel so disagreeable to the most of us 
who are doomed to be together with them. 

The meal-times are the most trying. Even if the fare 


20 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


were of the choicest kind it could not be relished on ac- 
count of the vile talk to which the ears are exposed. 

And yet some of my companions tell me that this is 
nothing compared with what they have heard and seen, 
and they add, '‘But we are so accustomed to such things 
that we no longer pay any attention to them.^’ 

‘‘Accustomed to such things !'’ How much must a 
man pass through in order to reach that stage? What 
changes must take place in the character of a young man 
who has come from a pure home before he can enjoy 
such company as this? 

Merciful God, what our sons must face when they 
go out into the world ! 

We often grumble when they fail to behave according 
to our notions. But how many of us realize what they 
must pass through? 

If we knew of the storm and stress in the young m'an’s 
bosom, if we knew how earnestly he fights the battle of 
conscience we would surely, as a rule, reserve our grumb- 
ling. 

The young man has not made the world what it is. 
He finds the surroundings as they have been fashioned 
by his predecessors. And he knows it. When we fuss 
and fret because he does not behave properly he is grind- 
ing his teeth and cursing the conditions which robbed him 
of his greatest boon. 

He looses faith in himself because no one seems to be 
able to comprehend what odds he has to contend against 
and what struggles he has to pass through, and because 


OUR YOUNG MEN 


21 


he thus receives no encouragement or advice. He gives 
up everything and permits himself to be carried along 
by the current. 

Then he soon becomes so ‘‘accustomed to it that he 
no longer pays any attention.’’ 

I sympathize with the young man. It is the result 
of our sins that meets him in life. He must wade through 
the mire or remain floundering in it. 

But shame on him that berates a young man who is 
struggling as best he can ! 

Rather speak a word of cheer to him. To make a 
false step is bad indeed. But do not break down his cour- 
age. Do not try to conceal your own sin and your own 
responsibility for the present conditions. 

But let him see and hear that there is hope for you 
and hope for him. 

If it is necessary to struggle in order to reach the goal 
there is also something worth struggling for, and if the 
young man perceives that his seniors understand him 
and trust him, no one is more eager than he to strike a 
blow and suffer for a good cause. But if he does not feel 
this backing he is discouraged ; he thinks there is nothing 
to win, and he gives up everything. 

Among my fellow-travelers were several young Nor- 
wegians who were going to visit their birthplace and to 
spend the Christmas holidays with their old mother. 
Most of them had not been in good company, at least for 
some time past. They could not keep up with a number 
of Irishmen in telling horrible stories and singing lewd 


22 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


songs, but a couple of them had made great headway in 
drinking whiskey and swearing in English. 

But old mother had a place in their memories. Some- 
thing was still beating in those bosoms. There was still 
a tie which was not severed, a writing which was not blot- 
ted out. When the prodigal son found himself lonely 
and forsaken, without a friend, without money, without 
food, the memories of home rose in his mind. This be- 
came his salvation. Where the thoughts of father, mother, 
relatives and fatherland fail to arouse tender feelings 
the last redeeming vestige of good is blotted out. 

Affection for father, mother, relatives and fatherland 
is the best trait which nature has implanted in man. When 
this natural gift is spoiled or rooted out there is no longer 
any moral foundation to build on. Hence it will be found 
that a man who is ashamed of his nationality and of the 
tongue in w^hich his mother spoke while he sat in her lap, 
rarely advances to any prominent position of trust or in- 
fluence wherever he goes, and he can never be a father 
in a happy home — the foundation of a nation’s greatness 
and progress. 

Do not tear with a rude hand this affection for the old 
home and the esteem for the mother tongue out of the 
breast of the young immigrant ! They are his noblest her- 
itage. Rather cultivate them, and he will thrive the better 
in the new soil, and in the course of time you will find in 
him a man with a large heart and a powerful arm. 

There is hope for the young man who in his defeats 
and victories is still thinking of his people and his kins- 


V 


HOME TO MOTHER 


23 


men in the old country, who tugs and toils through the 
hot summer day and through the fall season that he may 
be able to visit them during Christmas. He is full of 
longing. Maybe the triviality of his surroundings, the 
emptiness and wretchedness of the life which he is leading, 
has aroused this longing. Maybe he has misunderstood 
himself in supposing that a trip to his native land will 
serve as a remedy. Maybe he ought to look higher up 
in order to get broader views, in order to comprehend 
his own existence and grasp its central idea. May- 
be his soul, though he has not understood it, is troubling 
him for better food and purer air. Be that as it may, his 
soul is yearning, and he believes that a Christmas eve in 
the cosy home of the old folks will help him. May God 
bless him whose soul is yearning. And pity on him who 
has no yearning. 

For this time of the year the weather was pleasant 
and the sea was rough for a couple of days only. 

Toward dusk on the twenty-third of November we 
came within sight of the coast of Ireland, and the pas- 
sengers for Queenstown made every preparation for dis- 
embarking. 

What rejoicing among our Irish fellow-passengers! 
And the joy increased as we passed one lighthouse after 
another; for within this or that length of time — at first 
in so many hours, afterwards in so many minutes — their 
feet would be on dry land ; and several of them mentioned 
the particular public house in which they would meet in 
the evening, the general understanding being that they 


24 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


must have some of the genuine old country beverage after 
such a long absence. 

But our calculations are often upset in this world. He 
that rules over winds and waves often seems to work on 
a sort of haphazard principle, thereby disturbing our little 
plans. This was the case now. The Irishmen rejoiced 
in the thought of leaving us and our narrow, puny world, 
and we who were to remain did not take unkindly to the 
idea of getting rid of them and their intolerable singing 
in the night. But to our mutual disappointment no land- 
ing was effected that evening. 

As we were trying to find the way to Queenstown a 
violent storm arose, and when we dropped anchor the 
sea was so high and the wind so strong that it was not 
possible even to reach the shore with the mails. There was 
no alternative but to raise anchor, face the wind up 
through the Irish Sea and take the sons of the Emerald 
Isle to Liverpool, compelling them to wait for another 
chance to reach their homes. 

There was no such thing as sleep that night, for those 
who had figured on landing gave vent to their disappoint- 
ment and spite by keeping up a general racket as long as 
they could, and the storm took care of the rest. 
At times the wind made such assaults that we felt as 
though the ship would be shaken to pieces. 

When we came on deck next morning we noticed a 
bright streak of the English coast, while the Irish 
Sea was whipped into foam by the storm. But the ship 
steadily plowed her way against the furies of air and sea, 
and by noon we lay at the quay in Liverpool. 


SECOND CHAPTER. 


Liverpool has Washed Itself.— The Slave-Trade and Smuggling 
gave the City a Start. — Bare-Footed in the Snow.— In the Railway Car. — 
The Sights of London. — Baked Potatoes.— Ugly Vehicles. — Lack of 
Artistic Taste in the Show Windows. — In the Public Houses. — At the 
Meet-Shops. — The English Policeman. — London’s Sanctuary. — In An- 
other Church. 

That Liverpool is the next largest city in England 
and one of the chief commercial marts of the world, is a 
fact which is known to every school boy who has learnt 
geography; and thousands of emigrants from northwest- 
ern Europe remember — often with regret — the city with 
the uncomfortable boarding houses and the divers tempta- 
tions which they come in contact with while waiting for 
the next steamer bound for America. 

But a city like Liverpool does not remain stationary. 
What we knew of this great city many years ago no longer 
holds gpod. It has washed itself once in the course of 
the past few years. I do not know exactly when this 
happened; for it is based on second hand information. 
Indeed, I would not even vouch for its truth. But my 
exceedingly amiable host assured me that the new man- 
agement — cannot recall how new it was — had cleaned 

[ 25 ] 


2(5 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the stable, and that the establishment now was really ex- 
emplary in point of cleanliness. I mentioned the saloons 
at every corner. ‘'Oh, the public houses? Well, they are 
all right.” He made me think of the woman who turned 
her skirt inside out on Christmas eve because “cleanliness 
is a good thing.” Maybe my host was of the same opin- 
ion. 

But from a commercial point of view, Liverpool has 
made magnificent progress. It is an old city. For a long 
time its growth was slow. Originally it was only a fisher- 
men’s hamlet, which in 1173 received a charter as a mar- 
ket town from Henry 11 . But four hundred years later 
it had only 138 house owners and twelve ships. The 
origin and basis of the real greatness of Liverpool was 
its slave trade and its smuggling trade with Spanish 
America during the War of Succession. With this back- 
ing and the experience gained at that time, Liverpool has 
enjoyed a steady growth until its exchange has become 
the center of the world’s trade in wheat and cotton. Here 
the price of the chief products of the globe is fixed, here 
it is decided how much the western farmers are to receive 
for their wheat. Liverpool has actually controlled the 
American trade for many years, and from its present van- 
tage-ground it may remain in the lead for a great length 
of time. 

It was not the overwhelming evidence of wealth, how- 
ever, which captivated me most strongly upon my arrival 
at Liverpool. The snow storm which raged during the 
previous night had spread a white, thick sheet over the 


BARE-FOOTED IN THE SNOW 


27 


city and its vicinity. This was now soaked in rain, and 
I had to wade through the streets.' The first incident 
which made a deep impression upon me after landing 
was the sight of poorly dressed, bare-footed little children 
who were walking in the snow. Maybe the late Father 
Kneipp would have found this proper, for according to 
his notions it is healthy to walk barefoot in the snow. 
But it is one thing to run barefoot for the sake of health, 
and an entirely different thing to ^'Kneipp it’' because 
there is no honest way of procuring a pair of shoes. In 
America, I thought to myself, such a thing would go to 
the hearts of people of means, and they would not allow 
themselves to see it without extending the hand of charity. 
But it would, perhaps, savor of self-praise to say so, and, 
moreover, the kind-hearted Englishman might not like 
it; for as to kind-heartedness he has long claimed to be 
superior to the re.stless, money-making American. 

Between Liverpool and London I traveled in lord- 
like fashion. Indeed, I had only a third class ticket, and 
my car wore the same label. But it was brand new and 
luxuriously furnished. The seats were soft, there was a 
small closet where I found water for drinking and 
washing, and all other conveniences, and I was the sole 
occupant of my compartment. 

This struck me as a fine thing and a great thing. Just 
think of it, such accommodations for a third-class ticket ! 
This was something different from what we are used to 
in America ! , 

But where is the heating apparatus? Whence is the 


28 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


heat to come? It is bitter cold. I looked under the 
benches, up to the roof, I looked up and down and all 
around ; but nothing was seen which indicated heat. This 
was a desperate pinch. Am I doomed to sit here in the 
cold and get sick or even freeze to death because John 
Bull has not yet been able to make up his mind as to the 
best place for a heating stove in a railway car? 

I went out on the platform and sounded the alarm. I 
would not permit myself to be treated like a dog, not even 
in England. 

‘‘How is this, Mr. Conductor, have you no warm car 
to let me ride in? It is altogether too cold here. I come 
from America, and I am not accustomed to freeze on the 
railroad cars.’’ 

“All right. They are bringing the tanks now.” 

The tanks? Yes, he was right. Immediately there 
came a wagon loaded with narrow, two foot long iron 
cases, filled with hot water. Two such tanks were thrown 
into each car for the passengers to put their feet on. Now 
I had two all to myself ; and off we started. 

But that day I shall not forget. It was not eventful. 
I was sitting, ticket in hand, waiting for the conductor 
to come and call for it so that I might have a chance to 
give him a piece of my mind on the subject of the tempe- 
rature in the English railroad cars. But no, sir, I was per- 
mitted to keep my ticket until, hungry and benumbed 
with cold, I finally reached London. My gymnastic per- 
formances, I think, contributed more than those tank^ 


\ 


THE SIGHTS OF LONDON 


29 


of lukewarm water to keep my blood in circulation on 
that trying trip. 

London, of course, offers many sights to the curious 
traveler. It is said to be the biggest town in the world — 
four times as large as Chicago and more than twenty 
times as large as Minneapolis. This is a little too much 
to take in during two days, therefore I must make a selec- 
tion. There are the Royal Palaces, the House of Parlia- 
ment, St. James Palace, Marlborough House, the Crystal 
Palace, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum and the 
many magnificent parks. But any cyclopedia will tell 
you about such things. The one that I have lying before 
me states that beer-brewing and sugar-refining are the 
leading industries of London — beer and sugar. There are 
many people who have spent all their lives in London 
but who still are not aware of these facts. There are even 
thousands of people in this cosmopolis who never heard 
of Westminster Abbey, the Crystal Palace etc. The 
hand-books tell you about this, and the traveler must read 
the hand-books, the result of which is that he is fooled 
to trot from one curiosity to another, and by the time 
he has to leave the city he knows neither more nor less 
than he did before about the ^'doings and drivings’’ and 
general condition of its teeming millions of human beings. 

I wonder whether an}^ traveler has paid much atten- 
tion to a man who tramps about with a hot oven, selling 
baked potatoes. At any rate, I can find nothing about 
him in Johnson’s cyclopedia. But to me he was an in- 
teresting specimen, and there is scarcely a five-year old 


30 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


child in London that does not know of him. He is usually 
to be seen at the railway stations, and the indications are 
that his business is in a most flourishing condition. 

When some one gives him a penny or a half-penny, 
according to the size of the potato involved in the deal, 
he takes a potato out of the oven, opens it lengthwise, 
puts a little salt into it, presses it together again and 
hands it to his customer who consumes it then and there. 
I saw one man gobble three plump potatoes in rapid suc- 
cession. This customer was no beggar, either: when he 
was to pay he carelessly pulled out a gold piece, which the 
potato peddler found no difficulty in changing. 

I was told that only Irishmen enjoyed this tit-bit. 
Maybe that is true; but in that case there must be many 
Irishmen in London. 

They are no slouches, these potato peddlers. It is told 
that the Prince of Wales once thought he would sample 
this kind of dainty and, disguised as a private person, 
he bought a well-baked, salted potato and ate it, believing 
that no one present knew him. But the next day the po- 
tato peddler showed up with a big sign which he had 
placed above his oven and on which could be read: 
''Patrick O’Donnell, Purveyor to the Court of His Royal 
Highness, the Prince of Wales.” He was reported and 
charged with lese-majesty. But being able to prove that 
he was entitled to the honor, the humble potato peddler 
was "released from office,” with assurances of royal favor, 
and was given a pension for life. 

We are now coming to the London street cars. They 



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UGLY VEHIC.LES 


33 


are two stories high and have winding-stairs at either end. 
They are covered with advertisements inside and outside, 
on the roof and along ‘the stairs, and everything so clum- 
sily done that it is disgusting to the eyes of those who 
are not accustomed to see ugly traveling accommodations. 
And only two horses to pull this load ! Think of a large 
street car crowded with people inside, on the platform, 
in the stairs and on the roof, and finally rigged out with 
placards and inscriptions in all the colors of the rainbow ! 
If this is not a sight, then I am really afraid I don't know 
what is. And, excepting the railroads and the cabs, this 
is the best conveyance to be had on the streets of Lon- 
don. To be entirely fair, I must mention the three electric 
tramways in London, but they are all under the ground. 
You may slip down through a hole in the street, sit down 
in the car and ride until you decide to return to your fel- 
lows who are yet above the ground. 

The exhibits in the windows are also worth men- 
^ tioning. The goods are lying around in the wildest con- 
fusion, they are dusty and sun-browned or covered with 
a thick layer of cob-web. Behind them it is all dark, every 
inch of the windows being filled up with the exhibited 
goods. I entered several shops, and when I asked for 
something the salesman would light a candle and show 
me how the goods looked. There are exceptions, but only 
exceptions, to the general rule. A few streets look a 
little more inviting; but even in such there is a marked 
lack of taste. 

Saloons? Indeed! They are called public houses in 


34 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


England. We complain about the condition in America. 
But come to London! Not only the men are drinking, 
but the women also enter the saloons without the least 
shame, and sit down to drink with the men. In several 
instances I saw mothers sitting in narrow grog shops 
with babes on their knees. Young girls very often served 
as bartenders behind the counter. They talked and 
laughed and made themselves sweet to their more or less 
tipsy customers. 

Nearly all of these institutions present an attractive 
exterior, and the more ‘Respectable” places are luxur- 
iously furnished inside. But the most of those I passed 
looked like dreary stalls inside. Strange to say, however, 
this class seemed to draw the greatest number of cus- 
tomers. 

At the bazars, where the people buy their provisions, 
it is an easy matter to study the general condition of 
the common people. There is a striking difference be- 
tween such places in London and the markets Jn the Am- ^ 
erican cities. For instance, let us take the meat bazar 
in a certain street. -For a trifle one may buy the neck, 
head and legs of a goose tied together with hemp twine, 
five sheeps’ tails in a bunch, skinned and unskinned 
goats’ heads, tails of cattle of different ages and so forth 
to suit anybody’s fancy. The manner in which the people 
would sneak around Saturday evening to procure a little 
food for the Sunday, turning and squeezing the meat- 
lumps and expressing their feelings by unmistakable 
grimaces when the prices were beyond their means, this 


THE ENGLISH POLICEMAN 35 

convinced me that the American has nothing to begrudge 
the common man in London. 

The English policeman is an interesting figure. Tall 
and straight, he stands at the corner or in the middle 
of the street, turning his head in every direction, but see- 
ing and hearing nothing except what concerns his special 
calling. In his uniform he looks dread-inspiring, and one 
may shrink from speaking to him. But if you make a 
venture you will find him to be kindness personified. It 
seems to afford him great pleasure to give some one a 
pointer, and he is apt to accompany you to the next 
corner to ascertain that you follow his directions. The 
impression you receive from him is that he is a faithful 
functionary. In one respect it may be said of the patrol- 
men of London, however, that hearing they hear not, and 
seeing they see not : they seem to have received instruc- 
tions from their superiors to shut their eyes and ears to 
that which is London's greatest shame. 

Sunday forenoon I attended mass in St. Paul’s Ca- 
thedral. This great and venerable edifice constitutes the 
centre of London. In giving distances, St. Paul’s Ca- 
thedral is mentioned as the starting-point in the same 
manner as Grand Opera is referred to in Paris. 

I shall not attempt to write an account of this struc- 
ture and of all the great men whose remains are gathered 
there : I am dealing only in trifles. 

But the high mass ! Those who despise the Lutheran 
Church because some of its congregations tolerate mass 


36 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and sacerdotal robes ought to pay a visit to the ''Evangel- 
ical Church of England/’ 

It goes without saying that the church was not filled. 
Why should it be filled? It was not built for the purpose 
of gathering a congregation of living men and women 
who desire mutual edification by way of "speaking one to 
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” On 
the contrary it seems to serve as a repository for the dead 
bodies of heroes and famous men; for of such there are 
many. Besides, the words of the preacher die away be- 
fore they reach half way across the immense room. 

Though it was eleven o’clock by the time I entered, 
there were yet empty seats in the front. The ministrant 
boys, dressed in white garments, and unnumbered priests 
and deans — or whatever they are called — had been chant- 
ting to each other I do not know how long, and they kept 
on for the next forty-five minutes. 

Then came the sermon. It was the delivery of a well 
written discourse on the advent of the Lord. The preacher 
remained in the pulpit exactly fifteen minutes. No prayer 
whatsoever, for in the Church of England no prayers are 
offered but those found in the book. 

Then the others resumed their chanting and continued 
for fully an hour, closing at one o’clock by marching 
in a splendid procession into a side-room. Not a single 
hymn was sung by the congregation. Why should those 
people sing? They could not have done half so well as 
the trained ministrant boys, and I suppose the Lord would 
not have enjoyed their singing so well. The congregation 


LONDON’S SANCTUARY 


37 


may listen to the priests and kneel when they are chant- 
ing. That will do them good. Such at least is the view 
held at some places where no missionary ever put his 
foot and where the New Testament is not known. Now, 
why should not the metropolis of Evangelical England 
be just as far advanced? 

It was a magnificent performance, and that the 
music was inspiring cannot be denied. But I was unable 
to discover the whereabouts of New Testament Christ- 
ianity in it. There is also many a good man in the Church 
of England Who has commenced to protest against the 
modern tendency toward paganization. 

There are surely hundreds upon hundreds of regular 
attendants at London’s vast sanctuary who are yearning 
for deliverance. Oh, if a word of deliverance could be 
spoken to them! Oh, if the Lord were permitted to come 
in the humble garb and form of a servant as He Himself 
and His immediate messengers came! Oh, then there 
would be a different strain and a different spirit within 
those mighty walls, and it would be delightful in that space 
which now is so gloomy! For then the hearts would 
meet, and where the hearts meet there is God’s dwelling- 
place. 

In the evening I attended another church. This was 
large too, but packed to the last pew. There was sing- 
ing. Those who had no books could borrow books. 
There was no restraint. The organ did not drown the 
singing. It only elicited and guided the strains, and they 
did come forth. People like to sing if they only dare and 


38 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


are permitted to do so, and the most of them, nay, prac- 
tically all, can sing if there is some one to take the lead 
— not to teach others, but only to interpret the craving of 
the heart. There is warmth in this, it thaws out the most 
stolid, making it difficult to refrain from singing; and 
before you are aware of it you are singing as never before. 
Oh, how easy it must be to preach after such inspiring 
singing from every mouth! I do not think the Lord 
has anything against congregational singing in church. 

Perhaps the curiosities of London do not properly 
include the fact that it rained as long as I remained 
there, and that upon entering the street I was immediately 
sprinkled with the mud that sputtered and spattered in 
all directions. But in those days nothing intruded itself 
more persistently upon the attention of the traveler than 
this very fact. For this reason it must be mentioned in 
the summing up of my impressions of the giant city; 
and it may also serve to explain why my description of 
it is so gloomy. 


THIRD CHAPTER. 


In Paris. — The French Cafe. — The Gabbatha of France. — Place de 
la Bastille.— Marseilles.— The French Soldier.— An Acrobat in a 
Flourishing Trade. 

Paris is in many respects a contrast to London. The 
main streets are immensely wide and planted with trees 
along the middle or on both sides. Everywhere they are 
paved with stone, brick or asphalt, and they are smooth 
and clean even in rough weather. 

The buildings along these streets are exceedingly art- 
istic, not very tall, and generally built in the same style, 
The ground floor is used for shops, the upper floors are 
fitted up as elegant family accommodations. The stores 
are neat and light, and the exhibits in the windows are 
simply fascinating. One does not receive the impression 
that the goods are exposed for sale, but only for the sake 
of decoration. This is true not only of the large stores, 
but the same wonderful taste and sense of beauty is con- 
spicuous on every hand. 

The French cafe is renowned throughout the world, 
and a person coming from America cannot avoid paying 
attention to it upon entering Paris. Every Parisian has 
139 ] 


40 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


his favorite cafe where he spends at least half an hour 
every day. In summer he is seated at a little table out on 
the sidewalk, smoking his cigar and taking an occasional 
sip from his glass or from his cup of coffee. In winter 
he keeps himself inside, playing cards, dominoes or bil- 
liards. From this it is evident that there is a multitude 
of cafes, and along in the afternoon there are customers 
in every one of them. 

Everything going on inside may be seen from the 
street, for in Paris it is no disgrace to drink, provided the 
drinking is done “in beauty.” And it must be admitted 
that though the Parisian consumes immense quantities of 
wine, he does it in such a manner as to keep all of its 
unsightly features wholly in the background. 

Far be it from me, however, to hold that the French 
cafe is better than the American saloon. It may be even 
more dangerous because it is more attractive. But if the 
people in America drank so “artistically” as the French 
our usual arguments in favor of total abstinence would not 
be applicable: it would at least be necessary to recast 
them into a different form. 

Besides the cafes, Paris has a multitude of other public 
places, chief of which are the parks and the public halls 
and the theaters, and the Parisians spare no pains to 
make these attractive. There is Grand Opera, the grand- 
est and most expensive theater in the world. It is an im- 
posing structure indeed. Its foundation was laid in i86i. 
The site cost over two million dollars, and almost five 
hundred houses had to be torn down to give place for the 


THE GABBATHA OF FRANCE 


41 


building. Thirteen years later it was finished, and then 
it had cost about seven million dollars. This is men- 
tioned only as an instance of the liberality of the Paris- 
ians in the interest of amusement and art. 

Having only a day and a half at my disposal, I could 
visit only a few of the most famous places. 

There is the Palace of the Louvre with its rich archae- 
ological and art collections. Close by, or rather in con- 
nection with the Louvre are the Tuileries, which once 
served as a royal palace but which was largely destroyed 
during the regime of the commune. Only a few pavilions 
remain. The magnificent garden between the Tuileries 
and the Place de la Concorde must be seen in fine sum- 
mer weather in order to be appreciated. 

Place de la Concorde is the place where the guil- 
lotine was located. This place has a terrible history. 
There is scarcely another spot on the face of the earth 
where so much human blood has been shed and so many 
cruel deeds perpetrated. It is the Gabbatha of France. 
On May 30th, 1770, the wedding of the Prince of Dau- 
phin, afterwards Louis XVI., and Marie Antoinette was to 
be celebrated with magnificent fireworks. From some 
unknown cause a panic arose, and 1,200 people were killed 
and 2,000 injured. The guillotine was erected here in 
1793 - 

The first head to drop was that of Louis XVI. Nor 
was the queen spared. She was accused of having led 
her young son astray and was sentenced to death 
without proof. “I appeal to the hearts of all mothers 


42 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


present/’ were her last words. But they could not hear, 
for the women were, if possible, even more bloodthirsty 
than the men. Mirabeau said at the beginning of the revo- 
lution : ‘Tf the women do not join us nothing will happen.” 
But they did join. They were prominent in the riots. 
They were the first to put the heads of the victims on 
stakes and carry them in triumph through the city. Some 
of them took a pleasure in scoffing at those who were 
sentenced to death, calmly plying their knitting-needles 
while waiting for the execution. The intention was to 
have the queen executed together with two harlots. But 
when they heard of it they said they would throw them- 
selves on their knees before her, and that had to be 
avoided. 

In the course of two years about two thousand heads 
dropped from this terrible engine. 

On three occasions foreign armies have camped on 
this open ground in the centre of Paris — the Allied Forces 
in 1814, a part of the British army in 1815 and the Prus- 
sians in 1871. 

A knowledge of these historical facts makes the Place 
de la Concorde peculiarly interesting to the traveler. One 
who never has thought of this spot without dread must, 
upon facing the scene, admit that nothing so magnificent, 
nothing so charmingly beautiful can be found elsewhere 
in Europe. 

Exactly on the spot where the guillotine once stood 
may now be seen the obelisk of Luxor. It is a seventy- 
six foot shaft of stone which )veighs two hundred and 


PLACE DE LA BASTILLE 


43 


forty tons. It stands on a solid block of granite weighing 
ninety-six tons. Eight statues surround it, and they sym- 
bolize the eight leading cities outside of Paris: Lyon, 
Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Brest, Lille and 
Strassburg, the last mentioned of which now belongs to 
Germany. 

Place de la Concorde affords a view of the Tri- 
umphal Arch, the finest and most expensive of its kind. 
It was begun by the first Napoleon and completed by 
Louis Philippe, is one hundred and forty-six feet wide and 
one hundred and sixty feet high and has cost two million 
dollars. 

From the Place de la Concorde extends the splendid 
parkway. Champs Elysees, with Palais Elyse, where the 
president of France resides. 

Place de la Bastille is the present name of the place 
where 'the notorious palace Bastille St. Antonie once 
stood. It was built by Charles V. and Charles VI. and 
afterwards used as a state prison. At the beginning of the 
French Revolution it was ‘‘leveled with the ground’’ by 
the maddened mob. The governor and his garrison made 
a desperate resistance; but when he saw that he could 
not keep his ground against the axes and lances of the 
raging multitude he surrendered on condition that he 
and his soldiers should be spared. It was only with the 
utmost difficulty that the soldiers were conveyed to a 
place of safety. But the governor and his officers were 
killed and their heads raised on poles and carried around 
amidst the shouts and yells of the crowd. 


44 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The site of the Bastille is now an open square. In 
memory of the revolution of July, 1830, a one-hundred 
and fifty foot column has been erected on a square foot- 
piece of marble. On the top of this column towers the 
goddess of liberty, holding a bird on one hand and a 
broken chain in the other. 

But I must not tire my readers any more with my ad- 
miration of Paris. I must continue my journey. 

In the afternoon of November thirtieth I sped south- 
ward, and the next morning I was in Marseilles. 

This is the most flourishing commercial city of France. 
A confusion of narrow streets and old buildings indicates 
that the city was not planned in modern times. But in 
the main streets there is much which is not inferior to Pa- 
ris. The motley crowd, the surging life is highly charac- 
teristic. One cannot escape the idea that this is^the di- 
viding line between civilization and barbarism. 

Upon traveling through France, the great European 
republic, where kingdoms and empires have been doomed 
to destruction one after another, where ‘liberty, equality 
and fraternity’’ has been the great watchword for more 
than a hundred years, one cannot fail to notice the numer- 
ous uniformed men who are met with in highways and 
byways almost everywhere, on foot or on horseback. 

Whether they be privates or officers they are stately 
figures, and the mere sight of them is enough to make 
common people tremble from respect. I actually felt a 
chill running down my back js I was walking from the 


THE FRENCH SOLDIER 45 

steamer to the custom-house at Calais between two solid 
columns of soldiers who were armed to the teeth. 

Is this the way a liberty-loving people receives a stran- 
ger? I asked myself. Soldiers here and soldiers there, 
everyone of them looking like Goliath of Gath ! 

But a little closer observation of the movements of 
the French soldier will soon convince you that he is not 
an invincible giant. He is stubborn and stolid, his uni- 
form is too heavy, there are too many belts, and the whole 
figure conveys the impression of clumsiness and uncouth- 
ness. He may strike a hard blow if he only hits. But 
compared with the American volunteer he is too slow, 
and by the time his rifle is raised the battle is over. 

It stands to reason that the soldiers of the other Eu- 
ropean powers are no better than those of France. This 
throws an instructive light on the fact that the Spaniard 
was so easily done up by the American. He had to shoot 
before he had time to aim, making the war a chance- 
game on his part. 

It is elasticity of body and mind that the drafted sol- 
dier of France is lacking, and this defect cannot be remed- 
ied under the old system. To lop off the heads of kings 
and princes or send political opponents to Devil’s Island 
does not necessarily usher in that “liberty, equality and 
fraternity” which produces energetic and dauntless sol- 
diers. 

The French aristocracy must be profoundly humili- 
ated, and a thorough rejuvenation must take place in the 
mind of the people before the Freneh youth can attain 


46 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


that combination of skill and promptness and impetuosity 
which distinguishes the American and which, above every- 
thing else, carried the day at Manila and Santiago. 

But the French have much to suffer and much to learn 
before they reach that point. 

We find that the natural bent and bias of men is in- 
finitely differentiated. Whoever was cut out for a black- 
smith will not feel at home in a tailor shop. Everyone 
should try to find the niche for which he was made, and 
he that finds none should start on an exploring expedition. 
It will not do to relapse into idleness. One cannot make 
a living in that way. But if one finds out to a certainty 
what he is fit for, he then asks. Will it pay? And here 
we find that some people enter upon business for which 
they are not suited, but which nevertheless is profitable 
and brings handsome returns. 

In Marseilles I saw such a man. He was a genius in 
his way. He had made the discovery that travelers are 
big children who may easily be fooled to part with their 
money, and in a girl he had found certain capacities which 
he knew how to utilize. 

He evidently had no talent as an acrobat. Yet he 
attempted to do something in this line, and maybe it 
was his clumsiness and helplessness that attracted atten- 
tion and created the greatest merriment among the pas- 
sengers who were watching him. 

This man reminded me of a penniless and friendless 
tramp who came to a certain town in Norway and ad- 
vanced so rapidly that he soon became a wealthy and in- 


AN ACROBAT 


47 


fluential citizen. He pretended to be an opera singer and 
drew a full house though the admission fee was rather high. 
He could not sing. But the people got fun for their 
money anyway, and he raised sufficient funds to begin 
a flourishing business. 

But our friend in Marseilles has new customers every 
day and often several times a day, enabling him to run his 
business the year around. He does not receive his pay 
in advance; but the travelers are generous people who do 
not want a hearty laugh for nothing, and they are very 
apt to throw a coin each upon the quay as the ship is 
about to depart. This makes him so madly happy that 
he attempts a new experiment which turns out still more 
disastrously, and there is always some one on hand to 
pay him for repeating it. But he is plainly going from 
bad to worse until orders are given to untie the line and 
put off. 

Then he seizes a ladder, and as he raises it a ten-year 
old girl climbs up past him. By the time she reaches the 
top of the ladder he has raised the lower end of it above 
his head, and, standing erect on the topmost rung of 
the ladder, she kisses her hand and shouts to us in Eng- 
lish as we are departing, ‘‘Happy voyage!^’ 

The effect was instantaneous. A storm of applause 
greeted her from the steamer, and the coins rang and 
rattled along the quay. 

This man, you see, was persistent. I said to myself 
that he was a fool, but I take it all back. He had made 


48 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the discovery that travelers are good-natured people 
whose purse-strings are slack, and when he counts his 
money in the evening he may justly flatter himself that 
there are bigger fools in this world than he. 




FOURTH CHAPTER. 

Through the Mediterranean. — At Port Said. — An Old Juggler. — Like 
a Worm in an Ant-Hill. — Blind Men. — The Canal.— The Red Sea. — 
Aden. — Divers. 

We left Marseilles in the afternoon of December first. 
The next morning the islands of Corsica and Sardinia 
were in sight. 

I'he Strait of Bonifacio between these islands is not 
very wide, and by means of field glasses we could easily 
see the people moving on either side of the strait. 

The country looks very barren and uninviting from 
the sea. But in Corsica, which is a mountainous country, 
there are extensive forests, and the climate is said to be 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


SO 

very pleasant. On the contrary, the interior of Sardinia 
is said to be unhealthy, yet very fertile. In ancient times 
the Romans used to send their wors,t criminals to this 
place. 

The next day we passed the Lipary Islands. One of 
these is Stromboli, which we passed close by. It looked 
like a huge coal-pit in the process of brisk charring. At 
first there was a strong wind, and the smoke was swept in 
a northwesterly direction without being detached from 
the summit of the mountain. Later on the wind abated, 
and the smoke was formed into a column which spread 
out at the top and finally assumed the shape of a stu- 
pendous mushroom. There must be a pretty big fire some- 
where in the bowels of this island since it keeps on smok- 
ing from century to century. 

Later in the day Italy and Sicily hove in sight. The 
Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from Italy, is 
very narrow and shallow, and our speed had to be reduced 
one-half. The beauty of this place is great. 

The city of Messina is located on a slope on the Si- 
cilian coast, as if gazing at its own image in the sea. It 
is a good-sized town, having some two hundred thousand 
inhabitants. It has a fine harbor, a university and many 
large buildings. 

Farther to the south rises Mount ^tna, the volcano. 
It is generally quiet, and its sides were covered with snow. 
History tells us that great eruptions have taken place in 
this volcano at great intervals for more than two thous- 
and years past. The most violent eruption was that of 


AT PORT SAID 


SI 

1669. On that occasion the lava current reached the 
ocean. 

On Tuesday afternoon, December sixth, we were in 
Port Said. This city is situated at the end of the Suez 
canal, on a narrow strip of land extending into the Medi- 
terranean Sea. 

Here we had a foretaste of Oriental life. 

We had to stop for coaling. Two or three barges, 
strung together, loaded to the gunwales and crowded with 
people on top of the coal, were towed up to either side 
of our steamer. And how those people did yell ! Every- 
one used his mouth as though his living depended upon 
that organ alone. 

What in the world are all these people going to do, 
dirty and repulsive as they look? 

Carry coal! 

Two planks were placed from the barge to the steamer, 
one for carrying coal, the other tor returning to the barge. 
A rope was stretched from the gunwale of our steamer and 
simply tied to a man standing on the barge. It was 
used as a hand-rail by the coal-carriers when they entered 
the steamer with baskets of coal on their heads. There 
were always about twenty robust men walking up the 
plank, all of them using the rope to steady their gait, and 
the one man down at the barge had to keep it tight. This 
was cheaper than to put up a post of wood or iron. 

It was also cheaper to hire hundreds of men to carry 
the coal than to keep machines for hoisting the coal on 
board the steamer. 


52 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The Arabs have discovered where the Europeans 
have their weakest point, and they also know how to take 
advantage of it. Our steamer soon swarmed with mer- 
chants, and all imaginable kinds of goods seemed to be 
represented. Those who had money bought something 
either for the fun of the thing or because they took pity 
on the poor creatures. 

None of them, however, was more successful than a 
good old soul of a juggler and his young son. They 
both knew their business, but the old fellow carried off 
the pastry. 

Indeed, he was a man of many tricks. Without any 
apparent effort he would pull a big hen’s egg out of the 
nose of one of the passengers and recover a lost coin in 
the mouth of another. To make a little chick lay two big 
eggs was no trick at all, he assured us. But if we would 
give him a little more money — English or French, it made 
no difference to him — he would show us a sight worth 
seeing. The money was forthcoming, of course. He 
borrowed two silver coins and let one of the company 
hold them in his hand. The latter doubled up his fist and 
held the money tightly. , 

‘Tf you lose them,” said the juggler, ^'you must pay 
me a pound. Oh, no, don’t get scared. I’ll spare you.” 

Then, cutting a few capers along the floor and whist- 
ling, he asked for the coins, 
have them.” 

A few more capers. 

^^Have you the coins yet?” 


Port Said 








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AN OLD JUGGLER 


55 


Whistling and blowing. 

‘'Do you still keep them?’" 

“Yes.’’ 

“I don’t believe it. Open your hand and let me see.” 

Bah ! There were two copper coins in his hand. 

“Did I not tell you that you would lose them? What 
has become of them? Cannot find them? Well, then, 
I’ll eat the copper coins.” 

And down his throat they went, apparently. But they 
got stuck on one side of his throat, and he could not 
force them any farther down. They were there, sure 
enough. Every one could hear them rattle when he struck 
the spot. Nothing remained but to gulp them up, and 
now they had been turned into silver again. 

These and many other tricks he performed. 

I forgot to ask him how he managed to do it, hence 
I cannot explain. 

The traveler, upon landing in Port Said, is treated 
like a worm in an anthill. From the stores, which gener- 
ally are well furnished, the Arabic merchants rush out to 
meet us with open arms, urging us to come in and look 
at their goods. One is bringing a sheep-skin with snow- 
white wool and wishes to sell it at an unheard-of reduc- 
tion. Another comes trotting with a piece of needle- 
work in his hand and protests that money cannot buy a 
duplicate of it in the whole world. The little boys point 
this way and that way and ask only the merest trifle for 
conducting you to the best public house or the finest ho- 


56 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


tel in town. Arabs wearing long, white skirts come in 
couples, each one leading a donkey and offering the trav- 
eler a cheap ride. When a traveler mounts a donkey its 
owner runs behind, jerking the animal’s tail or goading it 
with a sharp stake to make it walk fast. 

Here comes a boy leading a human specimen which 
he claims to be blind and which puts up a horrid-looking 
face. He wants money. Of course ! That’s what every- 
body does. And who is callous enough to say no in a case 
like this? It would be a pity to send one like him away 
empty-handed. There goes the sixpence ! 

Lo, there comes another! Sixpence again! 

“Mister, mister, poor blind man!” shouts a third one 
who thinks he is almost too late to reap a harvest for his 
blind man who, by the way, looks even more miserable 
than the others. Well, this time only a copper coin is 
forthcoming. Such a rushing business as this compels 
a reduction of the investments. 

“Here, here!” yells still another, who almost drags 
his blind man along. “Well, here’s a penny for you too.” 
It is written: “Give to him that asketh thee.” But ask 
yourself, my dear reader, when you are at Port Said, 
whether you don’t wish you were on board again before 
you are besieged by too many blind men. I would also 
add that the blindness of these men presents a debatable 
question. Many of them may see as well as you or I. 

It took us a day and a half to pass through the 
Suez canal. This waterway between the Mediterranean 
and the Red Sea is so narrow that when two ships meet. 


THE CANAL 


57 


one of them must be stopped and crowded up to one side 
while the other glides by. The northgoing ships having 
the right of way, we had to stop several times and were 
thus somewhat delayed. We usually made about five 
miles an hour while on the move. 

In ancient times a considerable trade was carried on 
between Europe and the rich Indies across the neck of 
land between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. This 
gave rise to tlie idea of facilitating the intercourse by 
building a canal either directly from ocean to ocean or 
from the Nile to the Red Sea. The latter plan was put 
into execution by Sesostris and Necho, but Darius Hys- 
taspis completed the work. This canal was reopened by 
the Ptolemies, but the trade along this route was not 
active. The canal was repaired in 640, A. D., but soon 
decayed again. Traces of it may yet be seen. Several 
Turkish sultans thought of building a new canal along 
the same route. Napoleon I. advocated, the plan. But 
the English, supposing that it would injure their East 
India trade, were against it. In 1843 Mehemed Ali or- 
dered surveys to be made, and it was demonstrated that 
the level of the Red Sea was not, as formerly supposed, 
higher than the level of the Mediterranean Sea. The idea 
of cutting a canal through the isthmus of Suez from sea 
to sea was at last taken up in all seriousness by Ferdi- 
nand de Lesseps, the famous French engineer, in the year 
1854, and he was supported by Said Pascha, the viceroy 
of Egypt. 

An international committee of prominent engineers 


58 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


from the different countries of Europe was appointed. 
This committee convened in Paris and thence proceeded 
to Egypt. The immediate result was the organization of 
a stock company having a capital stock of two hundred 
million francs, and the work was begun in the spring of 
1859. 

It was a stupendous undertaking. No less than twen- 
ty-four hundred million cubic feet of earth had to be re- 
moved. Imagine what a large force of laborers it re- 
quired and under what singularly difficult circumstances 
the work had to be done — in the middle of a desert, 
far away from places where provisions and water could be 
procured. Until a canal was dug from the Nile to the 
place of operations no less than sixteen hundred camels 
were used every day for supplying men and beasts with 
water. 

Several large camps were built, and these soon as- 
sumed the appearance of towns, having hospitals, post 
offices, telegraph offices etc. 

One of the first things to be done was the construc- 
tion of a fresh-water canal from the Nile to Suez for 
supplying water and for transporting provisions, tools 
and other necessaries. This canal was completed through- 
out its whole length in 1863. At Lake Timsah, where it 
is connected with the main canal by means of two locks, 
the town of Ismaili was established. The main depots, 
shops and offices were located at this place. 

Many difficulties were met with. England persisted 
in antagonizing the work. The laborers were greatly 


THE CANAL 


59 


harassed by fevers. But worse than anything else were 
the ravages of the cholera in 1865. In spite of all dif- 
ficulties and disappointments, however, the perseverance 
of de Lesseps was crowned with success, and in the fall 
of 1869 he witnessed the opening of the canal for pub- 
lic traffic. 

These plains, dreary, ash-gray, devoid of the slightest 
trace of vegetation, present a most disheartening appear- 
ance. Sand, sand, and nothing but sand as far as the 
eye can see. 

Somewhere in this region Abraham was once travel- 
ing back and forth with his wife Sarah. The brothers 
of Joseph made two strips across this waste between the 
fertile valley of the Nile and Canaan, laden with bags of 
grain, and Joseph and Mary with their child Jesus fled 
the same way from the cruel hand of Herod. It can 
not be so very far, since the ancients were able to cover 
the whole distance on foot. Now it takes less than a 
day to travel from Port Said to Jerusalem, the distance 
between Port Said and Jaffa by steamer and the balance 
by rail. 

But I wonder whether the country really was so bar- 
ren in ancient times. It is claimed that traces of cities 
have been found here and there throughout this desert, 
indicating that the ground must have been tillable; but 
that points to prehistoric times. 

The small stations along the canal were surrounded 
by luxuriant palm trees, presenting a refreshing contrast 


6o 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


to the eye, which grew tired of staring at those endless 
sand-plains. 

Here and there were small huts which served as homes 
for human beings. It is difficult to tell how they make 
a living. But they seemed to realize the value of 
money: their little boys — some of them were big 
too, for that matter — came running after us along the 
canal with open mouths and outstretched hands, groan- 
ing and moaning as though their lives were at stake. 
There could be no mistake about it, they wanted money. 
When something was thrown upon the shore they did 
not take time to pick it up, but placed a mark in the 
sand and kept on trotting alongside our steamer. Some 
of them would follow us for miles until they were ex- 
hausted, whereupon they slowly returned, hunting for the 
coins thrown to them. 

At one place we noticed about fifty camels engaged 
in carrying sand up from the canal out on the plain. 
Instead of panniers, two big boxes were strung together 
and placed on either side of the back of the animal. When 
the boxes were to be filled, the animal lay down care- 
fully and remained quiet until the men had loaded up. 
At a given signal the camel rose and faithfully carried 
its burden out upon the plain. 

The monotony of the scene was pleasantly relieved 
by an occasional railway train rushing past. 

The Red Sea! I do not know anything about the 
origin of the name. To my eye it looked light blue. 
But colors must not be discussed. I know a printer 


THE RED SEA 


6i 


who cannot distinguish between white, yellow and blue. 
It is all one color to him. When the common run of 
people have agreed to call it red I yield my point and 
join the majority. That’s the easiest way. 

As long as we could see the land after leaving Suez 
everything was dreary and gloomy. If the Bible did not 
tell us that Moses conducted the children of Israel dry- 
shod across this body of water as they were emigrating 
from Egypt to the Arabian desert, and if Mount Sinai 
were not located so close by that one who is well posted 
can point it out, there would be nothing to look for. 
There are both lofty mountains and broad plains; but all 
are ash-colored. I really wonder whether it looked 
so forlorn when the Israelites were tramping around in 
this vicinity? Well, then I can easily tell why they com- 
plained, and how it came about that they were so de- 
pendent upon the manna which they obtained from day 
to day. 

We left Suez Thursday morning and arrived at Aden 
early the next Monday. Thus it will be seen that it 
took us four days and nights to plow through the Red 
Sea. We faced a brisk wind throughout this stretch, 
and for two days the sea was lashed into foam, the steamer 
pitching and hewing its way, as it were, through wave 
upon wave, mile upon mile. The Red Sea is usually calm 
at this time of the year. The cause of this unusual storm, 
according to an explanation volunteered by the stewards, 
was the presence of so many ‘"sky pilots” on board. (A 
sky pilot is one who tries to point out a safe passage to 


62 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


heaven.) Well, it did happen once before that a storm 
arose because there was a missionary on board. But 
on that occasion the upshot was that he only traveled 
so much more rapidly, and although he did not land 
exactly where he intended to go, he turned up where 
the Lord wanted him. 

I am not quite certain as to the cause of our storm. 
Yet I know that but for the brisk wind the heat would 
have been well-nigh intolerable. 

Aden is situated on the south coast of the Arabian 
peninsula. It is an English possession and is surrounded 
by steep mountains, making it an almost impregnable 
military stronghold. It is an important commercial mart. 
About three hundred thousand camels bring merchandise 
to this city every year. 

Drinking water is obtained partly through mains lead- 
ing from wells dug in the valleys among the lofty moun- 
tains, partly from distilled sea water. 

Arabian merchants, who are always on the qui vive, 
of course did not fail to board our ship with their goods, 
their main article being ostrich feathers. It struck me 
that their goods were expensive; but connoisseurs as- 
sured me that the feathers were fabulously cheap, and 
many passengers purchased a goodly supply. 

The boys of this place have an interesting way of 
making money. They swarm in small boats around the 
steamers, proposing to dive and fetch up coins thrown 
down into the water. But they refuse to dive for cop- 
per coins, presumably because these cannot so easily be 


DIVERS 


63 


seen in the water. They will sing a song for a copper 
coin if it is thrown down into the boat to them; but if it 
is thrown into the water they simply let it sink to the 
bottom. They want an English shilling for a dive, and 
for two sixpences you may make them dive twice. For 
the fun of the thing I threw down an American ten cent 
piece. Like an arrow one of the boys shot down through 
the briny liquid and fetched the coin. This coin created 
great excitement and wonder, and the whole crowd had 
to see it. • They seemed to discuss the matter quite ex- 
haustively. I have no idea as to the conclusion arrived at ; 
but they seemed to be well pleased and concluded by sing- 
ing a jolly song to us. 


FIFTH CHAPTER. 


(Written during the voyage.) 

Good Company. — An American Missionary. — ^A Movement among 
Students. — Death and Funeral. — Dancing. 

How we are getting along on board our steamer? 
Well, I have no particular reason for complaining. I 
know nothing about the first class. But the second class 
passengers are well provided for. Good board and ac- 
commodating stewards. 

Our fellow passengers? They are a fine lot. To be- 
gin, four of us occupied one state room. One of them is 
a garrison chaplain, a member of the Church of England, 
who may boast of being a living link in the Apostolic 
succession. One is a traveling merchant, and a pleasant 
fellow he is. But he has no use for the representative of 
the Apostolic succession. The third one is a young Mo- 
hammedan from Agra, India. His complexion is dark, 
almost black. He walks about with his shirt dangling out- 
side his trousers and with a huge turban on his head. 
But you had better pay your respects to this man, my 
worthy reader, for he is a member of Her Majesty’s staff of 
domestics at Windsor castle, London! This position is 
above everything that you or I can ever aspire to in 
164 ] 


AN AMERICAN MISSIONARY 


65 


this world. I wish you could get a peep at the uniform 
and medals which he preserves as sacred relics. One 
evening when he complained that the sea rushed in 
through the porthole and sprinkled his bed, and the stew- 
ard told him that he knew of no remedy, our good friend 
hinted that he would report this outrage to the queen 
upon his return to London. It strikes me that life ought 
to be sweet to a man who is in a position to complain 
of his troubles to such a personage as that. But the 
steward did not seem to be very much alarmed at the 
threat, and the water was as persistent as ever in squirting 
through the porthole. 

Among the passengers are several missionaries, one 
of whom is a young American named Max Moorhead. 
I took a liking to this man for several reasons : he had a 
fiery temper; he was an American — I like Americans 
wherever I meet them — and, finally, he had been in 
Norway twice. — I have been there too, but only once. 
On his second visit to Norway his chum fell in love with 
a Norwegian lady to the extent of marrying her, the 
happy rites taking place in Christiania. 

The last mentioned episode acted upon me like a 
fairy tale. I was anxious to know more about that friend 
of his, whose name was Robert P. Wilder, and since I 
have reasons for believing that it will be of interest to the 
reader I reproduce Mr. Moorhead’s account in full. Here 
it is: 

'Tn the summer of 1886, Mr. D. L. Moody invited 
to Mount Hermon, Mass., numbers of college men to 
study the Bible. Two hundred and fifty accepted the in- 


66 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


vitation. Amongst others to go was Robert P. Wilder, 
who had just graduated from Princeton College. Mr. 
Wilder’s father and mother had been missionaries in 
western India. Mr. Wilder has often told how he left 
his Princeton home to go to Moody’s summer school, 
his sister’s words ringing in his ears: ‘Robert, I am pray- 
ing for a great missionary awakening amongst the stu- 
dents at Mount Hermon.’ 

“Kindled by missionary zeal, Mr. Wilder early in the 
session approached Mr. Moody on the plan of a series of 
platform addresses and Bible readings on Missions. But 
the great evangelist declined to fall in with the plan on 
the ground that he had called the young men together 
for a different object, namely, Bible study. And so, 
quietly, Mr. Wilder assembled a few to pray daily for 
the awakening which God had laid upon his heart. After 
some days a meeting was called which afterwards became 
known as the meeting of the Ten Nations. Three minute 
addresses were given by a representative from India, 
China, Siam, Japan, Turkey and other countries. Each 
one of the ten speakers closed his appeal to the students 
to evangelize the country whose needs had been freely 
depicted, with the words ‘God is Love,’ in his native 
tongue. About eighty to one hundred students were 
present. It was a meeting of great power. Men filed out 
silently; many spent sleepless hours that night. The 
personal question, ‘Shall I go?’ was beginning to be 
pressed home by the resistless power of the Holy Ghost. 

“From the date of the evening of this meeting of the 


A MOVEMENT AMONG THE STUDENTS 67 


Ten Nations, the subject of the claims of foreign missions 
upon the students was in the air as uppermost. If one 
took a walk in the woods a group of men would be found 
on their knees praying about this matter of the evan- 
gelization of the heathen. If one walked to the river, 
young men in twos and threes might be found in earnest 
conversation upon this all-absorbing topic. 

^‘Mr. Moody took the cue: he saw God was in the 
movement; and he called meetings where experienced 
missionaries expounded God's Word on what constitutes 
a missionary call, while others pleaded for the heathen. 
At the end of the summer school one hundred young men 
had signified their intention to become foreign mission- 
aries. And thus the students' volunteer movement for 
foreign missions had its origin. 

‘These one hundred young men were so fired with 
enthusiasm for evangelizing the heathen that they decided 
to send a deputation of four to present the claims of for- 
eign missions to students in educational institutions 
throughout the United States and Canada. Out of the 
four chosen only one could go. And Mr. Robert Wilder 
selected Mr. John Forman, now a missionary in the 
Punjab, India, to accompany him on his tour. Women's 
colleges as well as men's were visited. God honored the 
message of these young men, and several hundred were 
added to the list of student missionary candidates. 

“In due time the movement was organized with its 
executive committee and advisory committee. The ex- 
ecutive committee was formed by a representative of the 


68 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A. and the Inter-Seminary 
Missionary Alliance. 

‘The movement has for its object the threefold work 
of (i) inducing students to become foreign missionaries, 
(2) bringing student missionary candidates in contact 
with denominational mission boards and (3) strengthen- 
ing the purposes of students already pledged while they 
are being educated. 

“Among other results accomplished might be men- 
tioned: The preparation of missionary tracts and books 
and their dissemination in schools and colleges, and the 
fact that many churches, colleges and individuals support 
a representative on the foreign field. 

“The movement is inter-denominational. It does not 
send missionaries to the field. It numbers thousands 
Several hundred are now scattered throughout the world, 
laboring to extend the Master’s kingdom. May our mer- 
ciful Father, who began this movement and who has 
guided its leaders in days past, keep them humble and 
true to His Word, is the prayer of one who owes much 
blessing to its instrumentality.” 

In the early part of the nineties Max Moorhead and 
Robert Wilder took a notion to spend their vacation in 
Norway. They became so fond of the country that they 
returned the next year, and it was during this last stay in 
Norway that Mr. Wilder found a wife, who afterwards 
accompanied him to India. At present he is carrying on 
revival work in America, his chief aim being to arouse 
the students in the interest of missionary work. 


DEATH AND FUNERAL 


69 


If I am asked whether the passengers became weary 
of staying so long on board — at this writing we have en- 
tered the third week since our departure from Mar- 
seilles, and w'e may count on at least three days more — 
I may safely answer that the days have glided rapidly 
by, and no one has complained of being bored. 

There is the pack of cards for those who like that 
kind of amusement, as well as divers other games, and 
these are used with assiduity. Some of the evenings have 
been devoted to entertainments, the program consiting 
of singing, declamation, music and story-telling. An 
English physician, who left us at Aden, was in the 
habit of getting up something funny, treating us to a 
refreshing laughter for a change. 

Death has paid us a visit since we lost sight of land. 
One of our fellow passengers is no more. He was an 
Indian laborer who embarked at Aden for home. But 
he died at six o’clock the next morning, and two hours 
later his remains were consigned to the sea. Most 
of us knew nothing about it until the engine stopped and 
our speed was reduced. Then the word ‘‘funeral !” passed 
among us like wild-fire. A gate was opened, and the 
corpse was lowered in less time than it takes to write 
these lines. 

The engine began to beat again, and the people 
breathed more freely. “It was only a native.” Is it worth 
while to make any fuss about the death of a native of 
India? There are still three hundred millions of them. 
And yet this “native”^ was as important to Him who holds 


70 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


life and death in His hand as the viceroy of India or the 
queen of England. 

Oh, world, how cold thou art! “Only a native!” 

Shortly afterwards we had a dance. That is, the 
others. I did not dance, have never learnt that art, nor 
have the missionaries, as far as I know. But that is a 
different subject. 

The dancing took place on the second cabin floor the 
first evening, and on the first cabin floor the next. Only 
fine people, of course, took part in the dance -r- “cul- 
tured” people I ought to have said; for no others had 
dress suits along. A woman — lady, I mean, who wore 
a decidedly low-necked Paris dress, was at an awful pinch : 
she had a little baby. Well, why not make her husband 
tend to the baby while she attends the ball? But here is a 
new snag. He too was figuring on a social hop. Never- 
theless, she had dressed and made every preparation for 
any emergency that might present itself. She walked 
about in a low-necked dress, shaking the baby, until one 
of the lady missionaries relieved her so that she could 
step out on the deck, where the dance was already in 
full swing. But then my comrade, the traveling merchant, 
swore a stiff oath — he had learnt this art, but used 
it only on this occasion during the voyage — that if this 
lady had been his wife he would have sued for divorce 
as soon as he landed. 


SIXTH CHAPTER. 


In Bombay.- Helping Hands. — A Poor Selection. — A New Guide.— 
Number One Returned.— The Bill of Fare, Waiter, Wind-Maker etc.— 
The Parsis. — A Modern School. 

And this is India ! What a motley and multitudinous 
life! 

Contrasts, nothing but contrasts, it seems to me. 

The harbor of Bombay is literally covered with ves- 
sels. Here we see battleships with their murderous out- 
fit surrounded by the most innocent fishing smacks. One 
steamer towered higher and bulkier than the other 
among a swarm of craft of the most laughable appear- 
ance, some of them using crazy patchwork as sails, others 
being covered with thatched roofs as decks, and a large 
proportion of them indicating a seaworthiness which was 
at best debatable. 

People? Bless your soul! Think of an anthill. A 
restless, swarming, seething multitude. But of the mon- 
otony of the anthill there is none, nor of its feverish activ- 
ity. It is a mixture. Here you see the pale or fair European 
who is traveling for recreation, by the side of the bronzed 
and red-nosed seaman, the well-fed and well-dressed Par- 
si, followed by the lean and half-naked coolie. But all 
of them have plenty of time. No one is in a hurry. In- 
in] 


72 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


deed, these people do move, and their movements are 
uniform and deliberate, but miraculously slow. 

Upon facing land, you look in vain for the city of 
thatched mudhuts. On the contrary the eye is attracted 
by modern fortifications, carrying the most terrible en- 
gines of murder, and beyond these rises one edifice above 
another in Gothic and Saracenic style. This is called the 
European section of the city, while the city of the natives 
lies concealed behind it. 

W e did not have time to take a good view even of the 
European section, only a few hours being allotted to us 
for making preparations to continue the journey. But 
these hours were both interesting and busy. Our bag- 
gage had to be taken to the custom-house, but mine was 
not opened. Nor was it necessary to open it; for I had 
prepared a complete list of the contents, and this was 
accepted, as it surely ought to be, because it was cor- 
rect. 

I do not know whether there are many preachers 
among my readers; and it makes little difference so that 
my work is read by so many more of their parishioners. 
But sometimes the preacher is in an embarrassing position 
on account of the difficulty of procuring helping hands. 
There may be no lack of people who want to work — for 
pay. But they seem to think that it is improper to charge 
the minister the regular rates. It might be looked upon 
as discreditable. Nor do they like to assist him for no- 
thing, provided they can put their hands to something 
else. They may make an excuse like this, for instance: 


HELPING HANDS 


73 


would gladly do it, but today I have no time to spare. 
I am bound to go to town.” Or : ‘‘My horse is not shod, 
so I cannot take him out on the road, otherwise I would 
have been pleased to help you out.” Thus it will be seen 
that the preacher is left in a Quandary though he may have 
a plentiful supply of money and good words. I admit that 
my experience is not very extensive on that score ; but I 
have seen enough to sympathize with those who com- 
plain that assistance cannot be had on any terms. 

But come to Bombay, and you will find plenty of 
help. At least two hundred men crowded around 
me to help me carry the few trifles that I could easily 
carry with my own hands. As I have already hinted, 
I have occasionally been embarrassed, though I have found 
helping and accommodating hands everywhere, and I 
can properly appreciate a good opportunity to hire ser- 
vants when I need them. But this was too much for me. 
Why should they select me in particular? Do I look 
so much more helpless than the rest, or did they take me 
to be more stupid? Well, they doubtless perceived that 
I was green. I had never been in their country before, 
and, to tell the truth, to me it looked like a new world. 

Their jargon I could not understand. But their gest- 
ures plainly indicated what they were after. A guide — 
I would not use the word servant — might come handy in 
such a strange place. But it must needs be one that 
could speak with me. 

Could they speak English? “Yes, me know, saheb!” 
they all shouted in chorus. This left my difficulty as great 


74 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


as ever. How could I make a good selection out of this 
crowd? 

A new idea struck me. 

“Does any one know the way to Cook’s tourist of- 
fice?” 

“Yes, me know, saheb!” yelled the whole company 
as before, faced about and started up hill. By means 
of grunting and gesticulating and cutting faces they tried 
to induce me to follow them. But now I considered it 
most advisable to wait for a new idea. It came, and it was 
better than the others. All of a sudden I scooted past 
the whole army up hill as though I knew the way. This 
was a lucky move. After a little while I looked back, 
and then I found only twenty-one men close upon my 
heels. 

“Me know, saheb, me know Cook !” All of them knew 
it, but by this time I had fewer to choose among, and I 
pointed out the one that struck me as the most loqua- 
cious in the gang, whereupon we two started off to- 
gether. 

As soon as we had distanced the others I began to 
test his oratorical powers. But whether I failed to un- 
derstand him or he m.e, that question I shall leave un- 
answered. It soon dawned upon my mind, however, 
that he and I did not hitch very well. 

In a hand-book I had read that the tourist office was 
directly above the landing-place. But my guide made 
the way as long as from Christmas to Easter Sunday. 
Aftemards I found out that he wanted me to pay him 


A POOR SELECTION 


75 


by the hour. The tourist agent at once told me how 
much the services of my guide were worth in the money 
of the country, and I settled with him. He did not fail 
to express his opinion in regard to myself; and the coin 
which I gave him and which the agent said was more 
than large enough seemed to be so unsatisfactory to him 
as to justify him in throwing it back to me. I too made 
strenuous exertions to let him know that it hurt my feel- 
ings to dispense with his services so abruptly. But it 
proved to be quite impossible to arrive at a mutual un- 
derstanding. 

A new guide had to be procured, for without this 
equipment no one can get along. This time I struck a 
Brahmin, — according to his own story, at least. He had 
a big book full of recommendations from Americans 
whom he had taken care of and conducted to all parts of 
the country. 

'^Me know abery thing ober whole India, saheb,’’ he 
assured me time and again. I asked him if he could read 
the recommendations himself. Ah, no, but the sahebs 
could read them. 

^'But none of them are very good,” I told him. 

^‘How?” 

Then I explained to him that they were too long to 
read when a traveler is in a hurry. If he would do satis- 
factory work I would write a recommendation of only 
two inches. Then people could see at a glance what a 
good fellow he was. This idea seemed to please him. 

^^Yes, yes, me know abery thing, saheb.” 


76 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


We became good friends at once, and a few minutes 
later we were riding in a cab toward the custom-house. 

But I soon found that I knew very little about man- 
ners yet. My intention was that he should carry one of 
my valises — I had two of them — from the custom-house. 
Not much! It was at this juncture he told me that 
he claimed to be a Brahmin. He was no carrier. Such 
work would call the wrath of the gods down upon him 
and exclude him from his high caste. Then I thought 
to myself, respect for a man’s religion, though he be 
a Hindu ! It is not advisable even for him to act against 
the dictates of his conscience. Besides, I could easily 
carry my baggage alone, as is customary among com- 
mon people in America. 

In America! How different everything is in India. 
A tourist carry his own baggage ! What a sight in cul- 
tured India, the cradle and home Of aristocracy! No, 
sir, that would never do. Two robust men simply seized 
my valises and asked me to follow them. One wanted 
to carry my light over-coat, and if I remember rightly 
another offered to carry my cane. This treatment was 
rather too much of a good thing, especially in view of 
the fact that I had to pay for every little attention paid 
to me. 

I felt relieved upon returning to my cab and my dear 
Brahmin. Here I settled with my carriers, and after- 
wards with another who had followed me all the time in 
the custom-house and who claimed that he was entitled 
to receive pay, because he had shown me where my bag- 


NUMBER ONE RETURNED 


11 


gage was. The truth is that I found my baggage my- 
self without asking any human being for it. But the man 
received his pay anyway, and I hope he has made good 
use of it. 

Now we started for the railway station at a full trot. 
On the way we met the first guide, of whom I had taken 
such sad leave only a short time before. He seemed to 
be delighted to see me again and jumped into our cab 
at once. This was well done, but it must not be assumed 
that the joy was mutual. Was the man daft? He made 
a fearful racket, and by the aid of my aimiable Brahmin 
he made me comprehend that he had a serious charge 
against me. He had served me faithfully half a day and 
had received no pay. 

What occurred in my mind on this occasion would 
not be flattering to me if it appeared in print. But our 
horse had to be stopped, and the man was assisted out 
of the cab as decently as the circumstances would permit. 
It made little difference to him, however, for by the time 
we reached the depot he too was there. This was so 
well done on his part that I involuntarily saluted him 
and, in order to convince him that I was not joking, I 
handed him a coin. The result was what I had expected. 
With a profound bow he expressed his gratitude. The 
coolies who stepped up to carry my baggage into the 
station were chased away by him, and he carried it him- 
self, following close upon our heels. But he had to stop 
at the gate, for here a corps of uniformed carriers were 
stationed, and they had a monopoly of the work and the 


78 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


earnings inside the gate. I let one of them relieve him 
and thanked him for his services. This again put an end 
to our mutual understanding and friendship. He wanted 
his pay for the five steps he took with me, and he got it ; 
but we never arrived at a perfect agreement, though a 
sober afterthought must have convinced 'the man that 
he was well paid. 

There was yet an hour and a half before the train was 
to leave. This time was employed to good advantage 
in the shape of instructive experiences. Many things 
had to be learned that I might avoid an unreasonable 
amount of discredit as well as pecuniary loss. So much 
was brand new to me, all huddled together in confusion, 
without system, without harmony. This was my impres- 
sion at any rate. A mongrel mixture of human types 
which indicated a difference in origin and each of which 
had its peculiar customs and manners. To move among 
these people and get along with them without offending 
this man and that man, without making a fool of oneself 
or being ridiculed as one who has not acquired even 
the rudiments of good manners, this is not an easy mat- 
ter for people who are slow to learn. 

We enter the large dining hall. It is likely that you 
never saw one that was more elegantly furnished in an 
American railway station. .. Behind each guest stands a 
man holding an immense palm leaf. He supports the 
stem on the floor and moves the leaf vigorously back and 
forth. In this manner he produces a breeze which keeps 
down the temperature of the guest. 


THE BILL OF FARE 


79 


If I only knew the meaning of all these inviting names 
on the bill of fare! '‘Fried chicken.” Yes, I understand 
that. "Coffee” I understand too. "Whiskey?” Well, I 
will not protest that I am utterly ignorant of its qualities. 
But my contact with it occurred long, long ago, and even 
then I really had no taste for it. These were the only 



Railway Depot, Bombay. 

items I could master. Let me take chicken with bread, 
potatoes etc. and a cup of coffee. 

One must not be in a hurf-y if he orders a meal in a 
restaurant in India. The waiter takes his own time. 
But he performs his work with the greatest conscien- 
tiousness. If he brings you meat and no knife he returns 
to fetch one, but, of course, forgets to bring you a fork. 
But you need not become discouraged. He will bow 


8o 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


profoundly and say ‘'all right’' or something which re- 
motely reminds you of that expression, and in ten minutes 
he will bring you a fork. If you have hired a servant 
he will wait on you at the table without extra pay. I 
was not aware of thia at the time, and my good Brah- 
min remained standing by my side to see that everything 
was done in a proper way. At last the bill was presented 
to me on a dish, and when it was paid I naively imagined 
that my way was clear. The reader can easily imagine 
my feelings when the waiter demanded pay for his trou- 
ble. Well, I concluded that this was the custom of the 
country, and to this power everybody must submit. Hav- 
ing dispatched the waiter, I was immediately tackled by 
the wind-maker who had been fanning me from behind 
during the whole performance. To take artificial wind 
with the food may be pleasant at times, and in India 
it practically amounts to a necessity. But this was the 
first time in a life of ups and downs and tos and fros 
that I had to pay for wind. I asked my Brahmin whether 
there were any others who were entitled to remuneration, 
and a sigh of relief escaped me upon my receiving a 
negative answer. 

According to the figures of my good guide the city 
of Bombay has about one million inhabitants. But Fin- 
der’s hand-book, which was printed several years ago, 
puts it at “821,000 souls.” There are about one hundred 
cotton-mills, which employ seventy thousand persons. 
There are several silk-mills, numerous iron foundries and 
machine shops, employing thousands of workingmen. 


THE PARSIS 


81 


Bombay is controlled by Europeans. There can be 
no mistake on that score. And they live like kings and 
princes, the European quarter of the city being one of 
the finest to be seen on a trip around the globe. 

There are also many prosperous natives. Particular 
mention must be made of the Parsis, or the Jews of In- 
dia, as they are called. The Parsis constitute a race which 
is characterized by a fair complexion and a symmetrical 
form of the face. The Parsis are said to number about 
one hundred thousand. 

They were originally Persian slaves who were perse- 
cuted and driven away by the Mohammedans; but of 
late they have advanced to a position of considerable 
esteem, and as a class they are prosperous. 

In Bombay they are quite numerous. Several of them 
met us on board the steamer with their money-bags to 
accommodate us with change. 

These people are presumably best known from the 
manner in which they bury their dead. In fact they don’t 
bury them at all. They place the corpse in a little court 
surrounded by a high wall, which looks like a low tower. 
On the walls are a flock of hungry vultures waiting for 
the departure of those who brought the corpse, and at 
the earliest opportunity they pounce upon the corpse 
and devour it in a few minutes. Only the bones remain. 
These are afterwards thrown down into a deep well. 

The Parsis are fairly well educated, and they operate 
good schools for their children. 

The Mohammedans of Bombay are courageously and 


82 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


successfully struggling to improve their condition. In 
1893 they opened the Anjuman-i-Islam School for the pur- 
pose of giving their young people an education which 
will put them on a level with the Europeans. 

The more intelligent Mohammedans gradually per- 
ceived that an educational system based mainly upon the 
European plan, is one of the chief means of saving the 
natives from being hopelessly beaten in the struggle for 
supremacy in India. As it is, the English have assumed 
control of the commerce of the country and have man- 
aged to conduct the industrial enterprises in such a man- 
ner that English interests are particularly favored. The 
natives have gradually discovered the secrets of the Eu- 
ropeans and have imitated them on a modest scale; and 
along with this progress they have discovered the 
only solution of the all-absorbing problem: how can 
the white man be made to respect the native? And 
simultaneously they felt the necessity of a thoroughly 
modern institution of learning. 

It might have been expected that the English, who 
are rather inclined to boast of their Christianity and their 
dear wards, would have taken the lead in building 
schools for the education of the natives, especially in a 
country where the English have acquired such great 
wealth as in India. But my knowledge on that subject 
is highly meager. An educated Mohammedan with whom 
I afterwards became acquainted on a journey in northern 
India assured me most positively that the English are 
heartily opposed to the education of the natives along 


A MODERN SCHOOL 


«3 

the lines indicated above. The English foresee what it 
will lead to. If the native acquires a European education 
which is adapted to the special needs of India he will 
be able to assume control of the industrial enterprises 
and establish commercial connections abroad; the white 
man will be beaten in the race ; and England’s commercial 
interests in India will be at an end. ’ 

Indeed, this is nothing but conjectures. Yet it re- 
mains a fact that the natives were the prime movers in 
establishing said school. The Mohammedans of Bombay 
collected over one million rupees among themselves. They 
applied for and received an annual contribution from the 
government, and by means of this and their own subscrip- 
tions they have gradually improved the school until it 
has become one of the most noted in India. 

My guide in Bombay — I mean number two of them — 
spoke English fairly well for a native of India. He had at- 
tended an English school for some time and could read 
short sentences if they were plainly written. But he com- 
plained that most Europeans write a bad hand. Then he 
pulled out his book. It was soon time to take leave of him, 
for I could not afford to keep him any longer. Then 
came the recommendation which I had promised him. 

‘TTe is the boy,” I wrote in his book. He pondered 
a long while, and a little assistance enabled him to make 
out the meaning. Then he laughed and thanked me again 
and again. Would I kindly add his name? He repeated 
it three of four times to me as distinctly as he could. But 
before he reached the middle of it I forgot the beginning. 


84 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


It was constitutionally impossible for any and all business 
purposes, and I flatly told him so. It must be cut down 
from its original to an inch or two before it can be attempt- 
ed with any degree of success by people having such poor 
memories as the average traveler enjoys. I gave it 
up. But I handed him a rupee for his services, and we 
said good-by to each other as the best of friends. May 
he get along well all his days ! 



Musicians in India. 


SEVENTH CHAPTER. 


An Annoying Night. — Precaution against the Bubonic Plague* — 
A Gruesome Incident. — Wild Beasts. — Poisonous Snakes. — In the Valley 
of the Ganges. — The Same as in Days of Old. — Big Tobacco Pipes. — 
Monotonous Villages. — Artificial Irrigation. 

The old story again ! Here I am in the midst of fresh 
tribulations on account of my ignorance. It was no fault 
of mine that the two lower sofas were occupied when I 
came. First come first served, is a practical rule in India 
too. You need no special sleeping car ticket on the rail- 
ways of India. In each car is a sofa on either side, and 
above each of these is a shelf which may be turned up 
in the day; but it is so far up that a person may sit on 
the sofa beneath even if it is turned down. If you enter 
the car in time you simply place your baggage on one 
of the sofas and direct your servant to see to it that no one 
else takes your place. But if another comes before you 
nothing remains for you but to mount the shelf. 

There were only two ahead of me, so I had my choice 
between the two upper beds. The bench in the middle 
escaped my attention for the time being. When the train 
started we were five passengers in the car, all Europeans. 
Consequently one had to sleep on the middle bench. The 


[85] 


86 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


last arrival supposed that this properly belonged to me, 
and he was willing to lie on the shelf if I chose the middle 
bench below. 

His offer appeared to me to be very liberal, and I 
accepted it without hesitation. 

But that man knew what he was doing. He evidently 
had been away from his family hearth-stone before. That 
bench was not made to sleep on. Mine was a sad ex- 
perience. But my polite and accommodating fellow pas- 
senger has no reason to complain that I kept him awake 
reproaching him. Not a harsh word passed my lips. Such 
things must be submitted to with resignation, or else a 
person would fly off at a tangent too often. 

The heat was oppressive, and I failed to see why my 
companions, instead of wide, light night-shirts, put on 
clothes that fitted tightly from head to foot. Such a 
g-arb as this might do very well for a morning suit or to 
wear in case of a general smash-up which would compel 
each one to run for dear life irrespective of toilet or no 
toilet. But the idea of going to bed in such a garment 
as this, and in such heat ! But it was a part of the regu- 
lar program. I followed the example set before me, doff- 
ing m)^ night-shirt for a suit like those worn by my com- 
rades. But it felt like going to bed in one’s usual wearing 
apparel, and I gave it up. 

The others were well supplied with blankets and 
sheets, in which they carefully wrapped themselves when 
they retired. What sense is there in this precaution? In 


AN ANNOYING NIGHT 


87 


a temperature of ninet}^ degrees Fahrenheit I surely 
would not miss my bedclothes. Or what do you think? 

By three o’clock in the morning I had put on ^11 the 
clothes I could scrape together, and yet I suffered almost 



Railway Travel in India. 


as much from cold as I did on my way from Liverpool 
to London. This was an eye-opener, indeed. 

What’s that? Train robbers? Or am I only dream- 
ing? I started, rubbed my eyes and saw a veritable man 
standing in our car and babbling something to the effect 
that all of us had to be examined. I thought of ‘‘hands 
up!” But this was not the exact language he used. He 


88 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


wore a decidedly peaceful aspect, and as the others 
seemed to take the matter quite coolly, simply extending 
one of their arms to him, I gradually overcame my first 
terror and confidingly asked him if he wanted to bleed us 
in the literal sense of that expression. No, that was not 
his aim; but all precautionary measures had to be taken 
to prevent the spreading of the plague. 

The plague? What plague? Do you mean the in- 
fluenza? No ; it was the bubonic plague, the Black Death, 
or whatever you choose to call it. 

Is it not a year or two since the bubonic plague raged 
here? ^^Since it commenced to rage, yes,’’ said the man, 
feeling my pulse. ‘^All right,” was the judgment pro- 
nounced upon the condition of my health as he slipped 
out of the car. 

I tried to indulge in another nap. But this news 
about the plague, the unpardonably narrow, convex bench 
and the ever sinking temperature were more than suf- 
ficient to banish sleep from my eyes for the balance of 
the night. Am I to be thrown into the very jaws of the 
black plague, too? What will my wife and children say 
if they hear of it? Maybe they have already heard that 
the plague has broken out afresh and are mourning be- 
cause they think they may never see me again ! 

A couple of hours later our sanitary condition was 
tested a second time, and a third time, and then again and 
again. 

Oh, a plague upon this plague! 

It was a great treat to get out next morning and 


WILD BEASTS 


89 


stretch the limbs while the train stopped about half an 
hour. And there were a great many strange things to 
see. The clothing of the people seemed to represent all the 
costumes in the world and all the colors of the rainbow. 
There were half-naked and well-dressed, cleanly and filthy, 
ugly and beautiful people, mixed up most democratically. 
There stands an elderly man as if chained to the spot. 
Is he sick or is he freezing? His arms hung loosely, 
his body began to shake, and in a little while he fell for- 
ward, his face striking the hard pavement with a loud 
clap. Not a limb stirred, there was no sign of life. 

The signal for starting was given. I jumped aboard 
the train, and it was a positive relief to get away from this 
dismal place. Was it the plague? I do not know. 

Where are the wilds of India with their fierce tigers 
and roaring lions? Where are the impenetrable jungles, 
where is the home of the beasts of prey and the terrible 
python? 

While a boy I read about a party of German tourists 
who went to Norway to hunt bears. They were dressed 
as though they were going to spend a winter in Si- 
beria. Upon landing in Christiania they were greatly 
disappointed to find that very few if any bears had shown 
themselves in that part of the country for one thousand 
years past. They had read about bear-hunting in Norway, 
and was not this Norway? What foreigner can think of 
Norway without the idea of ice and snow and bears ! Thou- 
sands of men, however, have traversed the country from 
end to end without seeing a bear-track. 


90 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


India has an area of about two million square miles 
and a population of almost three hundred millions. Even 
if there are forests and tigers and pythons in India you 
may have to search both long and carefully before you 
find any of them. It depends wholly upon your choice of 
a landing-place and of a field for your further operations. 
Where three hundred million people are scattered over 
a territory of no greater extent than this, and where their 
ancestors have lived for three or four thousand years, we 
should not expect to find large forests nor beasts of prey 
in great numbers. And yet there is scarcely a country 
on the globe where the forests are wilder, the beasts fiercer 
and the serpents more dangerous. 

The statistics tell us that the number of tigers killed 
annually in India is 9,500, that of leopards 3,000, that of 
wolves 5,000 and that of bears 1,300. 

And still there remain enough of those wild beasts 
to kill over 3,000 people and 50,000 head of cattle every 
year. 

But this is nothing compared with the poisonous 
snakes. No less than 17,000 deaths a year are charged 
to this account. The snakes are most dangerous be- 
cause they live not only in the forests and mountains but 
wind their way everywhere so that a person is not wholly 
secure against their treacherous attacks anywhere when 
the weather is warm enough to permit them to keep 
themselves above the ground. 

But now it was winter, and at this season of the year 
the snakes are so drowsy that we could safely put our 


IN THE VALLEY OF THE GANGES 


91 


feet on the ground when the train stopped. Along our 
route there were no backwoods with tigers, leopards, 
bears and elephants to be seen. On the contrary, recently 
sowed patches of wheat, carefully cultivated fields, palm- 
trees of different sizes and shady fruit-trees, villages and 
herds of cattle met our eyes wherever we turned. Only 
at long intervals a range of mountains or hills was seen 
in the distance. 

Although India has become famous as an exceedingly 
rich country it is one of the poorest on the globe. The 
soil seems to be rich in most places, but it is a matter 
of record that it is not able to produce a good crop if 
the rain fails. For this reason failures of the crops and 
their attendant, famine, are so frequent in India. 

In the valley of the Ganges, where we are at the pres- 
ent moment, the soil is very rich, and provided it receives 
enough moisture it easily produces two crops annually. 
In winter the wheat does well here, and oats and rye 
also, may be raised. Besides these cereals, even barley 
and corn thrive in northern India. But rice is raised 
wherever there is sufficient rain. Cotton, indigo, jute, 
hemp and flax are raised in considerable quantities in 
different parts of the country. 

The Ganges valley looks like an immense farm. The 
occupation of the people is tilling of the soil. That fact 
is undeniable. And this has been the occupation of the 
people in this locality from time immemorial, for they 
have made no innovations of late. It is a part of their relig- 
ion to make a living in the same fashion as their fore- 


92 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


fathers did. Thousands of years ago they plowed their 
fields by means of oxen. Their plow is of the same, style as 
that used one thousand years before Christ. Seeding and 
reaping are performed in the same way as in the days of 
Solomon. They do the threshing with oxen that are 
not muzzled, they clean the grain with a hand fan, and 
two women grind with one mill, just as described in the 
Bible. 

People are seen at work everywhere, women as well 
as men. But they take their time. The man that has 
his hand on the plow looks straight ahead, and this is 
necessary in order to keep the furrow straight. The 
oxen are in no hurry, and the driver does not urge them 
on. There seems to be a mutual understanding that what- 
ever cannot be done to-day may safely be put off till to- 
morrow. The sower must conclude that he can easily 
keep up with the plowman and that it makes but little 
difference whether the grain is put into the ground a 
week earlier or a week later ; and he calmly squats by the 
roadside and lights his pipe. 

While he is smoking he can do nothing else, for his 
tobacco-pipe differs very much from ours. His pipe is 
really a sort of diminutive brick-kiln, a tube which is from 
six to ten inches long and has a fire-box at the top. Into 
this box he first puts a dough of tobacco and divers spi- 
ces. On the top of this he places a thick layer of burn- 
ing coals and folds his hands around the lower end of 
the tube. Between his thumbs he adroitly forms an aper- 
ture through which he draws the smoke. This apparatus 


BIG TOBACCO PIPES 


93 


excuses him from work as long as he is smoking. If he 
can afford it he uses a far more complicated affair. He 
connects the tube with an earthen jar containing about 
half a gallon of water, and he runs the tube down to the 
bottom of the water. A flexible tube is connected with the 
top of the jar, and through this he draws the smoke. The 
smoke is thus washed and cooled by being forced through 
the water before it enters the mouth. If I ever get a no- 
tion to while away my weary moments by smoking to- 
bacco I shall employ the second method, thereby enjoy- 
ing the smoke after it is well cleansed and cooled. It 
is not so handy as to walk about with a pipe or a cigar 
in the mouth; but I protest most emphatically that it is 
better for the health. 

The peasants do not live scattered here and there 
on the patches of ground owned by each. They live in 
villages, some of which have thousands of inhabitants. 
In these villages each man has his own compound, which 
is the abode of man and beast alike. The animals seem 
to enjoy more extensive privileges than the people. Be- 
tween the compounds are narrow passages, and through 
the middle of the village runs a wider passage which con- 
stitutes the main street. 

All the villages that we pass look so much alike that 
even a stranger may get weary of the monotonous repe- 
tition, and all of them bear the stamp of old age. The 
houses are built of clay and are thatched with straw. 
One wall seems to have been repaired last year, while the 
house is about to tumble down on the opposite side. 


94 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


But it is to be hoped that this portion will be repaired 
next year. After this fashion things have been dragging 
along from generation to generation. 

There surely must have been a time when the Indian 
peasant had some thought of the future. This is evident 
from the numerous water reservoirs from which the fields 
can be watered, either for winter crops during the dry 
season or during dry spells in the rainy season. If these 
ponds are located on elevated ground it is very easy to 
conduct the water from them to the fields ; but when they 
are located on low ground the operation requires much 
labor. In the latter case it was highly interesting to 
notice the different methods of raising the water and 
spreading it over the fields. One man would dip the 
water from a rivet or a pond up into a smaller pond, 
from which another man dipped it up into the next one. 
It was slow work. But we must bear in mind that time 
is no object in India. Sometimes the trunk of a whole 
tree is used. In the butt end is cut a trough-like reser- 
voir, and from this a gutter leads to the top of the tree. 
The tree is balanced on a fulcrum. The top end is raised 
and the butt end is dipped into the water. When the 
trough in the butt end has been filled that end is again 
raised until the water flows along the tree to the 
field which is to be irrigated. If there is a fall in the 
river a wheel is used for raising the water. Sometimes 
water is raised from deep wells by means of a horizontal 
capstan. A rope is wound around the capstan a few times, 
a bucket is tied_toIone3nd of the rope, a yoke of oxen is 


ARTIFICIAL IRRIGATION 95 

hitched to the other end, and everything is ready for 
work. 

I do not consider myself capable of passing judgment 
on the advantages and disadvantages of these different 
systems of irrigation from a financial point of view. But if 
that which has been long and carefully tried must inva- 
riably be practical and profitable, then there can be but 
one side to this question. 



EIGHTH CHAPTER. 


Where I am Going. — One Day Alone in a Hindu Village. — In the 
Washing-Pond. — Shaving. — Trading-Booths. — Jewelry. — Cleanliness. — 
A Soothsayer. 

Now I have already written several chapters about 
my journey without telling where I am going. Some 
people travel without any aim. They simply travel, and 
do not know where ; nor by what route they are to return 
home. Others travel continually and never get home 
because they neither have a home nor care to have one. 
They are called tramps. Their necessaries are few and 
insignificant, and they travel very cheaply. Still others 
travel only for pleasure, they take their time and spend 
money liberally. Business often serves as a good excuse 
for traveling long distances. What excuses one may 
trump up when he is at a pinch! Deaths, weddings, 
relatives, enemies, friends! And yet I have not men- 
tioned plagues, gout, pain in the back, nervousness, con- 
sumption and other social and individual ailments. But 
when one is neither a tramp, nor is rich, nor poor, nor 
going to a sick-bed, wedding or funeral, nor has a very 
dear friend or relative to visit or an enemy to do up, 
no war, pest, gout, or other abomination to flee from, 

[ 96 ] 


WHERE I AM GOING 


97 


when one is not recently married or has any very ur- 
gent business on hand — "when a person is so hopelessly at 
sea, what explanation is he to concoct for the gratification 
of the curious questioner? 

Write a book! Well, yes, I had an idea of writing a 
book, but not one like this. This work is an accident. 
I did not travel for the sake of this book at all, I went 
for the sake of another book which was already written. 

Some twenty-five years ago I read an account of a 
Christian mission among the Santhals of India. It was 
a lecture given in Exeter Hall, London, in 1874, by 
L. O. Skrefsrud, a missionary. This lecture made a pro- 
found impression upon me, and since that time I have 
studied this mission with ever increasing interest. In 
1881 I met Mr. Skrefsrud in Norway, and during his 
tour of America, in 1894, I became still better acquainted 
with him. For years I kept on collecting all obtainable 
literature on his mission, and in the fall of 1897 I pub- 
lished a good-sized volume on his work among the San- 
thals. In my reply to a letter of thanks from the mission- 
aries a few words escaped my pen to the effect that I 
might possibly go to India at some future time in order 
to see with my own eyes what had been done among 
the Santhals and what had become so dear to God’s people 
both in Europe and America. My remark was made 
offhand and without any idea of making this trip. Two 
months later, however, I received a letter from Mr. Skrefs- 
rud in which he invited me to come and spend the Christ- 
mas with him and Mr. Boerresen, his co-worker, in San- 


98 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

thalistan; I decided to go; and three weeks later I was 
on my way. 

Santhalistan is located in Bengal, about one hundred 
and sixty miles northwest of Calcutta. At this time 
we were within an eight hours’ ride of Rampur Hat, 
which is the nearest railway station to Ebenezer, where 
the missionaries Boerresen and Skrefsrud reside. I did not 
like to arrive in the evening. I desired to see how the 
country and the people looked when I arrived, and I 
stopped at Mokame and waited twelve hours for the next 
train. This gave me a chance to devote a whole day 
to the study of this town and its people. 

Pagan life pure and unadulterated stared me obtrusive- 
ly in the face at this place. 

On a public square between the depot building and 
the town was a large, magnificent well, about ten feet 
across and I do not know how deep. To this well come 
the people of the town, men and women, to fetch water. 
The women carry their pitchers on their heads as did 
Rachel of yore, while the men of the water-carriers’ caste 
come to the well with a sheep-skin bag (leathern bottle) 
suspended across the back by a shoulder-strap, the neck 
protruding under the left arm. When this bag is filled 
it assumes the shape of a sheep with feet and tail. Only 
the head is lacking. The man grasps the neck with his 
left hand and starts off. 

Several of these water-carriers were engaged in washing 
the platform of the depot, while others of the sweepers’ 
caste were scrubbing. 


IN THE WASHING POND 


99 


This well also seemed to be the public bath of the 
town. I saw several parties bathe in it. They were evi- 
dently men of noble birth. A well-fed man came riding 
through the city on an elephant, which he left standing 
outside the gate while he was bathing. A word must be 
said of the bathing performance itself. A servant mounts 
the three-foot curb surrounding the well, pulls up water 
and pours it on the one who is bathing. Thereupon the 
bather changes clothes before the eyes of the people. 

On another side of the town was a pond in which 
many women were washing clothes. Each of them was 
standing outside a big rock, churning the water into 
foam. Seizing the garment at one end they thrashed it 
against the rock like mad furies. There is a sneaking mis- 
giving in my mind as to their success in dissolving and 
removing the dirt in this manner. And maybe this is not 
their object after all. What made the matter look dubious, 
to say the least, was the fact that they afterwards spread 
the clothes out upon the dpsty, clayey ground to dry in 
the sun. 

But I do declare that no living thing could be sub- 
jected to such a radical treatment without being at least 
crippled for life; and this may have been the real aim of 
this extraordinary proceeding. 

In the shade of a tree sat an old and a young man — 
father and son, no doubt — putting old patches on old 
shoes. I could not make out what the shoes were to be 
used for, because I did not see anybody using foot-wear 

LofC. 


100 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


in that town — excepting, however, a few women whose 
toes were richly ornamented with metal rings. 

Outside a large gate which had to be opened before 
a person could enter the village, a hair-dresser was sitting 
on the ground, busily engaged in cutting the hair of a 
number of shabby boys, and a little beyond him was an- 
other engaged in the same trade. But he was a barber 
too. 

Shaving was not a pompous or complicated affair. 
The barber and his customer squatted on the ground, 
facing each other, and the shaving began. Soap is a 
luxury. A man can be shaved without soap; that much 
I learned then and there. But it takes lots of water, and 
the water must be rubbed in well. The razor strop is 
not superfluous, for the razor should always be kept 
sharper than a saw. But the Indian barber is practical. 
It would hardly pay for him to buy a strop. Nor does 
he need to buy any. It is much cheaper for him to use 
his own cuticle. And this is highly andvantageous in va- 
rious ways. His own skin cannot easily be stolen; nor 
does he run the risk of forgetting to take it with him when 
his business compels him to move from place to place; 
and it is practically indestructible, lasting at least as long 
as himself. He simply stretches forth one of his legs, 
sharpens his knife on it, and solemnly inaugurates the 
ceremony. 

The operation is not entirely painless. This is mani- 
fested by the workings of the face of the patient. But 


SHAVING IN INDIA 


lOI 


it is only a transitory affair, as the fox said when he was 
skinned. 

Inside the gate were several trading-booths on either 
side of the street. I walked all around to look at the 
goods, but I was not able to detect anything that I could 



Shaving in India. 

make use of. Among the lot were a confectionery and 
a butcher shop. The sweet-meats did not look particularly 
appetizing. But the tastes are variously shaded and graded 
in this world. I do not doubt that many found the confec- 
tionery very toothsome. But the confectioner did not do 
a rushing business as long as I was around. The people 
were kept busy wondering at me while I was in sight. 
They must have taken me to be the craziest of creatures 
they had ever seen. 


102 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The butcher sat brooding over the remains of the car- 
cass of a goat, and unless the meat was sold very soon 
it would become tender enough even for toothless people. 

One shop was well supplied with what Americans 
would call jewelry. 


A Hindu Girl. 



The women of India are as fond of ornaments as are 
their sisters elsewhere. They are chips of the same block. 

Hats and feathers and ribbons and laces and clouds of 
other things, so dear to the European lady, do not seem 
to strike the fancy of the dusky dames of India. The wo- 
men in this part of Bengal do not seem to care much for 
clothing of any kind. To be sure, they wear a little more 
clothes than the men, still I must say that, considering 
their sex, they are very sparingly dressed. 

But as to the use of bracelets and rings and all imagin- 


JEWELRY 


103 


able kinds of metal trinkets they far outstrip their white 
sisters. Be it the poorest man's daughter or the ugliest 
old crone, she is bound to have a ring or two in her nose, 
eyes, ears, around her wrists and ankles, on her toes and 
fingers or wherever a quantity of metal can be attached. 

Of gold she has none. There is but little of that mate- 
rial in India. But she is fond of silver. If silver comes too 



A Lady’s Footwear. 


high for her she is contented with cheaper metal. Brass 
may do well enough, and at a pinch even iron is used. 

Some women carry heavy brass clamps around their 
legs. In some cases these clamps seem to have been put 
on at an early age, and as the limbs have grown the 
clamps have caused great pain. At a later date, Mr. Boer- 
resen, the missionary, told me that one day he was ap- 
proached by a Santhal whose sick daughter was in need 


104 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


of medical aid. The ailment was in her feet. Boerresen 
suspected what was the matter and took a file along. His 
suspicion was well founded. The brass clamps around 
her ankles had become too narrow, and they had to be 
filed off. Her father was of course glad that his daughter’s 
life was saved, but he wanted Mr. Boerresen to pay for 
the ornaments that he had destroyed. 

It does not occur to me to accuse these people of being 
filthy. I have already spoken of bathing and washing. 
I have seen people carry the garbage from the house and 
throw it into a neighboring pond where they also wash 
their clothes, bathe and take their drinking water. To 
see them scratch and rub themselves is apt to create an 
able-bodied suspicion that they are not alone under their 
clothes. But circumstantial evidence is not sufficient 
to convict a person. 

In the middle of the street sat an old woman, and be- 
hind her a young one, perhaps her daughter or daughter- 
in-law, who was busily engaged in searching for something 
in the old woman’s long, tangled hair. I do not know what 
she was hunting for ; but what she found she put into her 
mouth. A little farther away were other women similarly 
occupied. The reader may draw his own conclusions. 

By this time the dogs had become aware of the 
presence of a stranger in their village, and they became 
so aggressive that though I spoke kindly to them — first 
in English and then in Norwegian — I found it to my ad- 
vantage to retire outside the gate. 


CLEANLINESS 


los 

From the advertisements in the daily papers one may 
infer that America is the paradise of professional pro- 
phetesses. But I used to believe that it was only the low- 
est and most ignorant classes that permitted themselves 
to be imposed upon in that manner. That the better 
educated Americans were so superstitious as to consult 
soothsayers and clairvoyants in all seriousness with regard 
to family and business affairs had never occurred to me 
before. 

Here I found evidence in black and white. 

A man handed me a book in which were written recom- 
mendations, mostly by Americans, to the effect that the 
bearer was the best soothsayer that they had ever met. 

He boasted that he could tell me anything and every- 
thing, for he was no Mohammedan soothsayer. He was 
a Brahmin and had not learnt to be a bungler. 

In order to make it plain to me that he knew his busi- 
ness, he would tell me, free of charge, that I fear only 
God and shun no man. ^Tt is all one to you what people 
think or say about you. For that reason you have also 
met with many reverses. But your courage is still un- 
daunted, for you trust in God.’’ 

He said this in tolerably good English. 

If he were to tell me more I would have to pay him, 
and the amount of information would be in proportion to 
the money invested. 

But he had told me all I cared to hear. 

I attempted to say a few well chosen words to him. 


io6 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

But then his English seemed to give out. He continued 
in Hindustani, however; but now it was my turn to get 
stuck, and we had to part. 

At dusk I withdrew to the waiting-room. The out- 
side life became altogether too uncomfortable. While I 
was sitting in there and picture upon picture of what I 
had seen during the day rolled up before my mind’s eye I 
involuntarily folded my hands and silently thanked God be- 
cause I was born and brought up in a country where His 
gospel is known. It may have been a matter of weakness 
on my part. But the sight of paganism made an over- 
whelming impression upon me. 

Our own civilization is defective in many respects ; but 
we are enjoying advantages which I for my part shall 
prize more highly in the future. 


NINTH CHAPTER. 


The Results of a Telegram.— A Native Physician.— A European 
Physician.— Eight Men Pulling My Cariole. — My First Impression of 
Santhalistan. 

By a telegram from Bombay to Mr. Skrefsrud my com- 
ing to Santhalistan was announced two days in advance. 
It was sent in a spirit of perfect innocence, but I after- 
wards found that it had been received with grave suspicion, 
the authorities being afraid that I might transmit the 
plague. The telegram was reported to the board of health 
of Calcutta, and from there orders were forwarded to the 
health commissioner af Rampur Hat and the district phy- 
sician at Dumka, instructing them to be on their guard. 

The functionary at Rampur Hat was awake, and I am 
under great obligations to him for the services he ren- 
dered me. He was a native but was dressed like a Eu- 
ropean, and his English could be understood. At first I 
thought he had been sent by the missionaries because he 
gave my name and seemed to know where I hailed from. 
Then he brought up the* question of the plague. The 
plague! Just as though I had not had enough of the 
plague already! Well, he had to obey orders and control 
all my movements closely for ten days ! 

[107] 


io8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Oh, thou world! And now I am to be kept here ten 
days! And this is the twentieth of December. A merry 
Christmas I have in sight! Only twelve miles from my 
place of destination, and then be quarantined during the 
Christmas holidays. And all of this on account of that 
dispatch. 

But the native physician was a sympathetic man, God 
bless him. As I was on the point of breaking down from 
discouragement a squad of twelve men came walking up 
to me. Their leader was a man of magnificent physique, 
^‘higher than any of the people from his shoulders and 
upwards,” and he carried a stafif twice as long as him- 
self. 

He first spoke to the physician in a tongue which I 
did not understand, whereupon he handed me a letter from 
Mr. Skrefsrud. In this letter it was stated that four of the 
men were to carry my baggage, and the other eight were 
to pull a cariole in which I was to ride. Eight other men 
were to meet us half-way to relieve the first ones, making 
twenty men in all. The horse was sick. 

The twelve men came to serve me. But none of them 
understood me. Here it was that the physician came to 
my assistance. He forgot what was his official duty, and 
only after he had assisted me into the cariole and we were 
speeding along at a lively rate did he again think of the 
plague and the quarantine. 

We had to stop. 

He politely begged me to excuse him for troubling me. 
Did I have any fever? 


THE RESULTS OF A TELEGRAM 


109 


Upon my assertion that I was as sound as oak, only 
a little tired after the journey, he bowed and said that 
he would send a man every day for the next ten days to 
Benagaria, where Ebenezer is located, to ascertain the 
condition of my health. This was the last I saw of him. 

But further consequences of my telegram were yet to 
come. On the thirtieth of the month a European 
gentleman came from Dumka to Ebenezer. He had a very 
weighty duty to perform and was bound to have a secret 
conversation with Mr. Skrefsrud. 

After a little while the missionary came out again and 
asked me to step in and have a talk with the stranger. 
I could see that Mr. Skrefsrud was up to some trick, but 
until I was introduced to the late arrival I had no idea 
that he was a physician and that my person was the object 
of his visit. He presented his orders from Calcutta to keep 
me quarantined for ten days. 

I protested against going, on the ground that his or- 
ders were already ten days old, and told him that he 
ought to have come before. But Mr. Skrefsrud opined 
that he had come just in time to cure his sick horse ! 

But let us return to the cariole. I could not wholly 
rid myself of a sense of shame at permitting myself to be 
conveyed in this fashion by eight of my fellow-men. Is it 
not a pity and a shame for one to be served in this way, 
even when the servants are dark-brown heathen? 

In America or Europe the answer would have been 
self-evident. But on this side of the globe it is not an easy 
matter to decide what constitutes sin and shame. The 


no 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


power of custom is great, and it stands to reason that even 
a comparatively short stay in India will reconcile a person 
to this mode of travel. To me this little junket was so 
funny that I considered it worth a snug sum of money 
and to deserve lasting gratitude to my human locomotives. 

Having repeatedly heard Mr. Skrefsrud describe the 
country of the Santhals, and having read his and Mr. 
Boerresen’s accounts of it, I had naturally drawn a picture 
of the general contour of the country between Rampur Hat 
and Ebenezer. This picture was completely demolished. 
Of the rustling forests of Santhalistan I saw but strag- 
gling trees here and there. Of the wild and magnificent 
scenery there was not a trace. The forests were gone, 
and with them the savage aspect of the country. Now 
the landscape looked like a rolling prairie, with stony, 
sterile soil on the elevations and well-tilled rice fields in 
the depressions. 

And the Santhals! Let us begin by taking a look at 
these young men who are pulling my cariole: none of 
them wore a particularly Christian aspect; nor was this 
to be expected, for they were all pagans. But the great 
bulk of them did not tally with the description which Mr. 
Skrefsrud gave of them at the time when he began to come 
in contact with them. 

To be sure, he has always praised them for their gentle- 
ness and simplicity, but more than once he has also pic- 
tured them as wild and wooly forest-dwellers who might 
be a little dangerous at times. But when I compared 
these people with what I had already seen of paganism 


EIGHT MEN PULLING 


III 


on my way through India I could not help becoming fond 
of them. They did not behave like uncivilized heathen. 
They made no coarse or unseemly gestures, and as my eye 
was gradually accustomed to see them in their light cloth- 
ing, which was limited to a six-inch wide strip of linen 
cloth, I could no longer see anything offensive in it. In 
fact it was becoming to them. 

The largest Santhal village on our way is situated 
close to Ebenezer. Its people, with a few exceptions, are 
still pagans. But what a difference between this one and 
the Hindu towns I had passed on my way ! I admit that 
the houses are small and low, so low that a tall man reaches 
almost to the eaves of the roof; but the street is swept 
clean, the walls of the houses are smooth and white- 
washed, and the compounds look clean and inviting. 

My first impression of Santhalistan completely upset 
my preconceived notions, and this question arose in my 
mind at once. What is the cause of this obvious difference 
between what I have seen of pagan life outside of Santhal- 
istan and what I face here? Or what explains the dif- 
ference between the real state of things now and the ac- 
counts given by the missionaries in the sixties? 

A converted Hindu, who is a teacher at Mrs. Boerre- 
sen’s school for girls, and a Scotch merchant who makes 
a business trip to India every winter, who, during the 
past twenty-five years, has repeatedly visited Ebenezer 
and who was again spending the Christmas holidays with 
the missionaries, solved the riddle. Their unanimous testi- 
mony is that the Santhals, in this mission district at least, 


112 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


have been changed beyond recognition. They have cut 
down the forests until there is but little left of them and 
have cultivated every patch of ground where anything can 
be raised. They have changed the aspect of the country, 
and meanwhile Christianity has leavened the masses of the 
people to such an extent that not only have single in- 
dividuals and single villages been transformed, but even 
paganism has become ashamed of itself and has commenced 
to behave a little better. 



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Benagaria. 


TENTH CHAPTER. 

Ebenezer. — Evening Prayers.— “The Christmas House”. — To the 
Woods for a Christmas Tree. — Skrefsrud Cuts off a Pagan’s Pig-Tail. — 
A Violent Struggle. — The Ants were Eaten. — Christmas Eve. 

We next turn our attention to Ebenezer. ‘‘Benaga- 
ria !” our people shouted as soon as we sighted the steeple 
of Mr. Boerresen’s ‘'cathedral’’, all pointing as one man in 
the direction of our place of destination. In fact the 
church steeple is the only object that can be seen from 
a distance, the whole group of buildings being wholly 
concealed by the luxuriant trees which Mr. Boerresen 
planted many years ago. The station is located on a beau- 
tiful eminence, and a more suitable place for a missionary 
station cannot be imagined. 

Having entered the compound of the station, we no- 
tice the houses of the native teachers to the left. They 
are but slightly larger than the common Santhal dwellings 
and are built mainly on the same plan. To the right are 
two brick buildings, where the boys live, and still 
farther to the right is the seminary building. As we 

[115] 


ii6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


advance we see the building for the girls to the left, and 
across a narrow passage to the right stands the residence 
of Boerresen and Skrefsrud. Between the latter and the 
residence of Mr. Muston, another missionary, is the beau- 
tiful garden of Ebenezer, from the center of which the 
magnificent church building may be seen towering up in 
the background, and from which fine alleys afford views to 
the other buildings. 



Rice-Field in Front of the Seminary. 

To the right of the church are two large ponds which 
Mr. Boerresen constructed many years ago and around 
which the earth was thrown up in the shape of high em- 
bankments. Standing on these embankments, which are 
planted with trees and palms and traversed by fihe walks, 
a person may have a most enchanting view of the surround- 
ing landscape. 

One does not receive the impression that he is at a 
missionary station surrounded by uncivilized people. And 
yet this was the home of bears and tigers only thirty years 
ago. 

Mrs. Boerresen and Mr. Skrefsrud were very busy. 


The Residence of Boerresen and Skrefsrud 




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EBENEZER 


1 19 

making preparations for the Christmas holidays. There 
were about five hundred boys and girls, every one of whom 
was to have new clothes and other Christmas gifts. Every- 
thing had to be measured and fitted, marked and arranged 
in the festive hall. Every one must be remembered and 
nobody forgotten. 



The Girls’ School seen from the Seminary. 


Mr. Boerresen has charge of the congregation, and his 
work is practically the same the whole year around. He 
is always occupied but is never busy. He takes his time 
just as well during the pre-Christmasi rush as at any other 
season. 

I count this as a streak of good luck, for I was im- 
patient to have him explain everything to me at once. 



120 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

He took me around to show me everything and to tell 
me how one improvement after another had been made, 
and the Lord received honor for everything as His work. 


School Girls. 

‘‘Here is nothing of which we may justly boast/’ he said. 
“We have been beggars. We have prayed to the Lord 
and He has been good to us. The honor is His, not ours.” 

What made an indelible impression upon my mind 
even the first day was the schools, and Mrs. Boerresen’s 


EVENING PRAYERS 


I2I 


school for girls in particular. It is unique. But the schools 
demand a separate chapter, and we shall return to them 
later on. For the time being we shall devote only a few 



School Boys. 


words to the first evening prayers I attended in the court- 
yard of the girls’ school at Ebenezer. 

All the children, the boys as well as the girls, were 
gathered in a group on the pavement which had been made 
and kept in repair by the girls. Mrs. Boerresen was 


122 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


sitting on a chair while Mr. Skrefsrud kept moving about 
among the children. 

When Mr. Boerresen appeared on the scene, Mr. Skrefs- 
rud began to sing a song, still walking about, and im- 
mediately the children joined, singing from several hun- 
dred little throats. 

They did not yell, they sang, and they sang as no fancy 
singer can sing. It was not only a beautiful strain. It 
was rich and deep and full of intense feeling, it possessed 
an elevating and absorbing power. It takes something be- 
sides training, something besides well prepared lessons 
to sing this way. Only a heart that throbs with a happy, 
cheerful, innocent life can produce such vocal music as 
this. 

I admit that a trained musician might have found fault 
with it. But I wish our congregations and Sunday schools 
could put so much life and warmth into their singing as 
these small and big children did ! 

One of the houses surrounding the rectangular court- 
yard of the girls’ school is an assembly hall usually called 
the Christmas House. The walls are tastefully decorated 
with Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and English flags of 
different sizes. The American colors surely ought to have 
been there, but they were lacking because no American 
flag had been sent to the institution. 

Large quantities of Christmas presents had been re- 
ceived from all quarters of the globe, but none from 
America. This does not mean that the numerous American 
friends of the Santhal mission are indifferent, but that 


In the Boys’ School Yard 



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THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE’ 


1^5 


they are ignorant of what amount of happiness a few trif- 
ling Christmas gifts might create among these children. 

In order to give the Americans a pointer which, I 
trust, will offend no one, I submit the following list of 
articles which would be highly appreciated: white linen 
jackets, thread, needles, scissors, small knives, portfolios, 
dolls and jumping jacks (for some of these children are 
quite small), little boxes to keep bric-a-brac in, pictures 
(even newspaper clippings will do, for the Santhal children 
are by no means fastidious), fancy cards, pens, lead-pen- 
cils, paper, rulers, in short anything which children in other 
parts of the world are fond of, excepting dresses, stock- 
ings, mittens and shoes, for such articles are not used here. 
Pack down everything carefully in a box which is strong 
but not heavy, and send it prepaid to 

REV. H. P. BOERRESEN, 

Rampur Hat, 

via Calcutta, Bengal, India. 

Such gifts will be more valuable than money, for the 
little ones will keep them as souvenirs from their distant 
friends, and though they scarcely know the value of a pen- 
ny they will never cease to bless those good people who 
sent them so many nice things for Christmas. 

The girls had made a large number of baskets from 
big leaves which were held together by means of splints 
of wood. These baskets were intended for the edible gifts. 


126 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


which consisted chiefly of home-made sweet-meats and 
roasted rice. 

Two large tables were put up, one for the boys and one 
for the girls, and on these tables the Christmas gifts were 
placed, each basket containing the name of the child for 
whom it was intended. 

A Christmas tree was still lacking. It was Mr. Skrefs- 
rud's business to procure one. There are no coniferous 
trees in this region. But as the deciduous trees are green 
the year around there was an easy way out of the diffi- 
culty. 

We made a reconnoitering expedition to a little grove 
which had been saved, and selected a tree which had the 
right kind of top. 

The tree was to be cut down the next day. Mr. Skrefs- 
rud requested the chief of the nearest village to send out 
men with tools early in the morning to cut down the 
Christmas tree and carry it home. 

The request was promptly complied with. At seven 
o’clock, exactly twenty strong, well-built Santhals came 
to the station armed with axes, ropes and poles, and off 
we started for the woods, Mr. Skrefsrud and I at the 
head and the others behind, twenty-two men, pagans and , 
Christians indiscriminately. 

The problem confronting us was to fell the tree with- 
out spoiling its top, though it was about fifty feet 
high. Every one seemed to have a plan of his own, and 
the deliberations which followed in the Santhal tongue 


TO THE WOODS FOR A CHRISTMAS TREE 127 


convinced me that these people do not suffer from a lack 
of the gift of gab. 

Mr. Skrefsrud did not say anything at first, he only 
walked around and looked and looked. But when he was 
ready his orders came like a clap of thunder which fairly 
made the natives jump. In a jiffy two men were fastening 
ropes to the top of the tree, while the others were cutting 
down some smaller trees to be used as supports. 

For a little while they tore about in a manner indi- 
cating that the job would be finished in no time. But the 
discussion was soon resumed. There must have been some 
question connected with this important affair which was 
not yet fully explained, and as I observed how Mr. Skrefs- 
rud had to explain the matter to them over and over again 
in a voice which might have been heard throughout seven 
German kingdoms I began to realize what patience and 
perseverance it takes to make these people accomplish 
something. They are in fact nothing but overgrown 
children. Common sense and physical strength do not 
go far in controlling them. A powerful voice and a 
never failing good humor are equally necessary. 

One man, for instance, was stationed at a tree to 
slacken the rope a little. But he did not succeed in mak- 
ing it work. “Look at that man over there !’’ Mr. Skrefs- 
rud shouted to the rest. “He ought to go home and ex- 
change clothes with his wife, for he does not act like a 
man.” This had the desired effect. The man did not 
like to be called a woman, and from now on he performed 
his part of the work promptly. 


128 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


There were several strange figures in this group. One 
of them distinguished himself by a long pig tail hanging- 
down from the top of his head. Only ''holy’' men and 
priests carry pigtails, and these ornaments are gradually 
disappearing. The particular pigtail in question looked 
so tangled that I expressed my curiosity to know how 
long it had remained unwashed and unkempt. 

Mr. Skrefsrud, instead of answering, pulled out his 
pocket-knife, stole up to the man, who was standing with 
his shoulders under the felled tree and could not get away, 
seized his pigtail with one hand and cut it off, wrapped it 
up in some leaves, handed it to me and told me to take it 
home as a token of the appearance of the Santhals when 
he first became acquainted with them. At that time every- 
body’s hair was as tangled and dirty as this. 

I felt a little uneasy at first, considering the procedure 
of the missionary to be rather risky. 

He also made this admission himself : "If I had done 
this twenty-five years ago it would have cost my life. Now 
they take it only as a good-natured joke and a friendly 
admonition. I am no longer a mere missionary among 
these people. Many years ago they elected me their par- 
gana (spokesman of the chiefs of the surrounding country). 
The pagans look upon me in that capacity, and they know 
that I desire their welfare.” 

This treatment, which to me seemed to be little short 
of a brutal outrage, only started a hearty laugh, and even 
the man that was shorn of his natural ornament took his 
loss good-naturedly and laughed with the rest. 


The Water Tanks 





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THE ANTS WERE EATEN 


131 

One more incident must be mentioned in this connec- 
tion. 

There is a kind of ants in this country which often build 
their houses in the trees. In the Christmas tree which 
had been cut down there was a respectable colony of 
these little animals. 

When they perceived that they were in danger they 
sent out an army to defeat the enemy, if possible, and 
soon there was not a bare shoulder or back under the 
tree that escaped the angry attacks of the ants. 

You ought to have seen the faces of the men. The 
situation was so comical that I could not make myself 
sympathize with the poor sufferers. The quicker and 
heavier the blows and the greater the numbers of the slain, 
the greater were also the numbers of the ants attacking 
the naked men. 

The nest was finally discovered and swiftly thrown 
away, and the invading armies were doomed to destruc- 
tion, because they had no more reserve forces to draw 
upon. 

But this was not the end of the ant campaign. A little 
chap of about twelve years of age appeared on the scene 
and began to pay extraordinary attention to the conquered 
nest. 

First he trampled it down under his feet, then 
wrapped it up carefully in the folds of his clothes as though 
it were a precious jewel. 

Mr. Skrefsrud asked him what he wanted to do with it> 

''Eat it,’’ he answered. 


132 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


‘'Raw or cooked?'’ 

As an answer he took a few dozen and put into his 
mouth. Then the missionary laughed, and I will not 
deny that some one else joined in the laughter. 

“Are they good?” 

“Yes, but they bite my throat,” said the boy, and took 
another dose of ants. 

The Christmas tree was conveyed home, and by the 
time it was put in its proper place in the Christmas House 
it had kept twenty men busy half a day. By this work 
our Santhal brethren earned the handsome amount of one 
rupee, or about thirty-three cents. This makes thirty- 
three cents for ten days’ honest work, and it is good pay 
in Santhalistan. 

This might be something for the political economists 
of America to consider. It is at any rate worse than in 
Mexico. Even under favorable circumstances in America, 
where people demand their money’s worth, thirty-three 
cents would have been considered fairly good pay for this 
amount of work. 

To trim up a Christmas tree in the missionary field is 
no easy task. But by means of energetic co-operation we 
succeeded in making it look quite attractive on Christmas 
eve. From the roof, around the tree, were suspended 
several large chandeliers which the little boys had made 
out of bamboo and paper, and I would like to see a Christ- 
mas tree displaying greater splendor than this one when 
all the candles had been lighted. 

At six o’clock the bell in the church steeple was rung. 


CHRISTMAS EVE 


133 


From the girls’ building Mr. Boerresen came with a lan- 
tern in his hand and was followed by almost three hundred 
girls dressed in holiday attire, all of them marching in 
procession down towards the boys’ school, or the seminary, 
as it is usually called. 

In the large, cross-shaped hall, which formerly had 
been used as a church, both schools met for a short ser- 
vice which was conducted by Mr. Boerresen. 

To see this simple, natural and yet venerable figure 
and to hear him speak in a voice which expressed both 
power and simplicity, was in itself a sermon to me, though 
I did not understand a single word of what he said. Fie 
plainly bears the stamp of old age. But this evening he 
seemed to speak with unimpaired vigor. It was also easy 
to read in the faces of both children and grown people 
that ‘"papa” was speaking. 

After the service the meeting broke up and convened 
after a little while in the Christmas House. 

The building proved to be entirely too small for the 
occasion, Christian and heathen having rushed in from 
the neighboring villages to hear and see, and the people 
were literally jammed together. No one complained, 
however. But big and small seemed to be happy, except 
the pagans, who were seated behind the others. They 
looked like strangers in this audience and were all aston- 
ishment. 

A program of singing, praying and speaking having 
been given, the little ones were permitted to move about 


134 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and look at the Christmas gifts, — only look at them, not 
touch them. And when they had seen the things they had 
to thank the Lord for the Christmas and say good-night. 

These exercises were repeated evening after evening, 
and the gifts were not distributed until just before New- 
Year. 



Ebenezer from the Rear. 



The Church-Building Seen from The Garden* 





ELEVENTH CHAPTER. 


A Fine Christmas Morning. — A Church-Bell.— “Is not This Peace? — 
In Church. 

We had an enchantingly beautiful Christmas morning 
at Ebenezer. The rosebuds in the garden were just burst- 
ing into blossom. Green trees were standing all around, 
and among their trunks were flowers and palms of dif- 
ferent kinds. Mrs. Boerresen’s numerous stock — cows, 
calves and goats, danced merrily away towards the past- 
ures, the geese and ducks chattered and bowed and 
laughed, waddling in files on their way to the ponds. The 
little birds were hopping about from branch to branch, 
chirping and singing, and did not manifest the least fear 
of the people who came and went in a steady stream to 
say their ^'johaP’ to mamma, papa and kerap, as the San- 
thals call their three European friends and benefactors. 
To them the earth seemed to be full of peace. 

Besides the natives who came in families to say their 
‘‘Merry Christmas” to the missionaries, the schools must 
be mentioned in the first place. The boys and their teach- 
ers took the lead. 

Mr. Skrefsrud gave them a short talk. He asked them 


138 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


what they had done before they came there. They had 
been praying. Then he wanted to know how they had done 
it. They had prayed during the exercises, of course. Mr. 
Skrefsrud next explained to them how he speaks with 
God all alone in his room before coming to the public 
prayer meeting, and he would recommend that every one 
of them do the same. When he had finished his remarks 
the boys returned to their school, a happy and contented 
lot. 

Next came the girls. ''J^har, mamma! Johar, papa! 
Johar, big brother!’’ (Mr. Skrefsrud). 

Young people are bubbling over with life. But to wit- 
ness the animation of these young people on an occasion 
like the present one is worth a long and expensive journey. 
They have received their Christmas gifts, and they are 
able to appreciate their good fortune. They know pagan- 
ism at close quarters, and realize that they are saved from 
its dreary darkness. Is it not natural that they are happy 
on this Christmas morning and that they endeavor to ex- 
press their gratitude to those who have literally pressed 
them to their bosoms and carried them to the heart of 
Jesus and who have been the means of giving them such a 
Christmas? God bless them! 

The bell in the steeple announced divine service. Oh, 
what a wonderful sound this church bell had in the far- 
away heathen land ! 

This bell has a history of its own. It was once sent 
as a gift from friends in Denmark. The missionaries 


A CHURCH-BELL 


139 


waited and waited, but nothing was heard of the bell. 
Several letters passed between Mr. Boerresen and the Lon- 
don office of the steamship company. It had been sent 
with a steamer, but no one seemed to know what had be- 
come of it. The warehouse in Calcutta was carefully 
searched, but no trace of the bell was found. It was finally 
reported that it had dropped into the sea from the ship 
which was to carry it to India, and the bell was given up 
as lost forever. But one day an employe in Calcutta de- 
cided to move a box which he had used as writing-desk 
for a year or more. But to move the box was more easily 
said than done. When he did succeed in turning it over 
he found the name of Mr. Boerresen on the side which 
had been concealed, and the lost bell was recovered. Now 
it is doing a noble duty, every Sunday morning and every 
holiday pealing forth its joyous message upon the Nankar 
highlands, inviting hundreds and thousands of men and 
women, children and parents to assemble in the house of 
God and rejoice in His name and have the craving of 
their souls abundantly gratified by the gospel of Christ. 

On this Christmas morning the bell pealed forth its 
come ! come ! come ! with such a deep, rich melodiousness 
as to melt the hardest of hearts. At least I thought so. 
But perhaps I thought so only because I was sojourning in 
a strange land and heard these familiar sounds which called 
forth dear memories. 

But the people came. Parents and children, old, stoop- 
ing women and men with canes in their hands moved 
slowly and solemnly up through the alleys to the large, 


140 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


beautiful house of worship. Solemnly. Not silently, with 
faces sad and turned earthward ; no, this is the way of gen- 
tiles and hypocrites. These Santhals are Christians, to 
whom the Christmas tidings bring true joy. Therefore 
they came with uplifted foreheads and cheerful countenan- 
ces. And when they met and said their ^'johar,” the salu- 
tation of the Santhals, there was a ring and a fire in it as 
though they would say, ^'Now we are happy, for there is 
born to us this day a Savior.'’ 

On the veranda in front of the residence of the mission- 
aries, Mr. Boerresen was standing, a venerable figure 
whose face indicates goodness of heart. Why, the man 
seems to be all heart, and its every pulsation is devoted 
to this people. Ought he not to be happy? By his side 
stands Mr. Skrefsrud. He is like the deep sea. He is the 
terror of the gods, and the faithful friend of the Santhals. 
If he is stirred up his forehead is apt to swell with frowning 
furrows, and then the man is dangerous to come in con- 
tact with. The idol priests, the usurers and the liquor- 
sellers can verify this statement. But to-day the surface 
is serene and bright, there are no surges or groundswells. 
'‘Just look about you," he said, "isn't this peace?" 

The boys came from the seminary with their principal 
at the head of the procession, walking through the garden 
up to the church. Next came Mrs. Boerresen with her 
little girls. She reminded me of a mother who has many 
happy children, one who no longer remembers ' all the 
cares and sorrows, all the toil and trouble she has had with 












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IN CHURCH 


143 


them but who, in the midst of a crowd of children, herself 
is the happiest of them all. 

Everything is plain in this church. Near the upper 
wall stands a table which serves as altar; on either side of 
this are a few chairs for Europeans; farther down to the 
left is a plain but solid pulpit ; and down at the foot of the 
steeple is a small table with the contribution box. These 
articles comprise all the furniture in the church. The San- 
thals need no chairs or benches. They sit like our tailors. 
Hence they need but little space. They crowd Together 
closely, the men on one side and the women on the other. 
The elders are seated in the front, and next to them the 
school children. When pagans are in attendance they 
remain in the rear. 

Mr. Skrefsrud conducted the services. While the con- 
gregation was singing he walked up and down the floor 
in order to get a better chance to lead with his powerful 
voice. 

Only a few had books. But that made no difference. 
They seemed to know the whole hymn-book by heart. 

The Santhals like to sing, and they have good voices. 
But their singing is not harmonious. In this respect, 
however, they are like all other Orientals, and it stands 
to reason that what we call discord sounds harmonious 
to them. 

The school children sing beautifully. They have been 
taught to do so by the missionaries. But when they sing 
with the congregation there is apt to be friction. In such 
cases Mr. Skrefsrud is on his feet, moving slowly and de- 


144 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


liberately towards the headquarters of the discord and 
leading the erring ones out of the difficulty so skilfully 
that no one knows what his aim is. 

During prayer and the confession of sins the whole 
congregation is kneeling, or rather, it ‘ffalls on its face/^ 
When the Santhals kneel they cover their foreheads with 
their hands and bow close to the ground. The congrega- 
tion rises and remains standing while reciting the profes- 
sion of faith. 

Though I understood but little of the sermon it made 
a powerful impression upon me. It did not only remind 
me of the time when I heard this rich voice from the 
pulpit in Norway and America and the weighty truths 
which never can be forgotten. But this sermon was char- 
acterized by an ease and power and sonorousness which 
told that the preacher was now at home and in full sym- 
pathy with his hearers. 

And the faces that met him! To such an assemblage 
of people an evangelist may preach with great cheerful- 
ness. But when the hearts are closed, the ears deaf and 
the faces turned to the earth, how difficult and disheart- 
ening! The preacher feels as though he were speaking 
to stones. And how often he must strive and struggle 
before he succeeds in arousing himself and his audience 
sufficiently to establish a living rapport between them ! But 
now this rapport was there from the beginning. Conse- 
quently there was no uphill work in this sermon. The 
very first word went home, and all the faces combined 
were like one great ‘'amen’’ to every sentence — just the 
way it ought to be in a Christian congregation. 


TWELFTH CHAPTER. 


Communion.— New-Year’s Festival— Tea Festival.— Church Work. 
— Monthl> Meeting.— Work Carried on by Natives.— How Christians 
care for the Poor. 

On the first or the last Sunday of the month all the 
native evangelists in the Avhole missionary district convene 
at Ebenezer. Such a gathering was to take place on 
New Year’s day, and the autumn festival of the congrega- 
tion had been announced for the same day. 

The meeting was opened with divine service and com- 
munion. 

There were about five hundred communicants. Those 
who did not want to partake left the church after the 
sermon. 

This looked to me like an old nuisance which the mis- 
sionaries inadvertently had brought with them from their 
old homes and transplanted into the missionary field. The 
Lord’s supper is a repast for the congregation, not merely 
for a portion of it. The congregation is the family whom 
the Lord invites to His table to partake of Him with all 
His mercy and gifts to the edification of the brotherhood. 
Can anything more distracting and disintegrating be im- 

[145] 


146 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS • 


agined than to have a part of the congregation partake of 
the communion while the other members leave the church 
or witness the ceremony as outsiders? How would it look 
if two-thirds of the members of a family ran out when din- 
ner was ready, or said, “No, thank you, I do not want to 
go to dinner?” Or is it possible to imagine that this cus- 
tom prevailed in the first Christian churches? Foolish and 
vicious habits have so confused the conception of the con- 
gregation as the body of Christ and the edification of the 
brotherhood that they are almost bound to continue their 
work of confusion in the missionary field. 

Mr. Boerresen officiated at the altar. Having con- 
secrated the bread and the wine, he first administered the 
sacrament to four native brethren sitting in the front row. 
Then he appointed two of these to go down among the 
rows and commune the men, and the other two to perform 
the same rites among the women, the congregation mean- 
while singing a hymn. Mr. Boerresen himself remained 
standing at the table, breaking the bread and filling up 
the cups, while the others were serving out the consecrated 
elements. 

Everything was done in a simple and unostentatious 
way. There was nothing stiff or stilted either about the mi- 
nisters or the other communicants. They were sitting as is 
their custom, when they take their meals, and the whole 
assemblage really bore the stamp of one great family 
where love and harmony prevail and where the Lord is 
both host and guest. 

In the afternoon the congregation assembled at a “tea 










TEA FESTIVAL 


i4§ 

festivar’ outside the seminary. The refreshments consisted 
of tea, several kinds of cake and pastry, and roasted rice. 
Prayers were offered and addresses made, and singing was 
an important part of the program. Both old and young 
fairly shouted for joy. 

Were these people orderly? Indeed, they were. If 
we could introduce such order in our informal religious 
gatherings at home very few would go away with a sad 
heart. Here love ruled supreme, there was no refined 
frivolity. But these people were cheerful. And why 
should they not be cheerful when they were so fortunately 
situated? 

The Ebenezer congregation is not a small one. The 
whole mission under the care of these two men, after a 
period of thirty years, comprises almost twelve thousand 
souls, and this particular church has about four thousand 
members. The spiritual needs of these people individu- 
ally devolve upon Mr. Boerresen as their pastor. In addi- 
tion to Mr. Skrefsrud, who usually conducts the services 
and preaches on Sundays, Mr. Boerresen has a considerable 
number of native assistants whom he calls elders or evan- 
gelists. 

The work of the evangelists is to walk from house to 
house, from village to village, proclaiming the gospel of 
Christ. They visit the sick, nurse them, give them medi- 
cine, which Mr. Boerresen always supplies, and in general 
render them whatever help they may need. The assist- 
ants also care for the Christians in the villages, teaching 
them Bible stories and hymns, conducting prayer meetings 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


150 

etc. They visit the heathens in their homes, sit down on 
the floor among them, sing to them and tell them about 
the Savior. 

When some one manifests a desire to hear more they 
cheerfully visit him every day. If some one is anxious to 
be saved they pray with him and teach him about Jesus; 
and when he testifies that he is truly converted they bring 
him to Mr. Boerresen. 

The chief work of Mr. Boerresen in this particular con- 
gregation is to meet with the native assistants and give 
them instruction. Every other morning he calls them 
together in the church or on the front veranda. Here 
each one reports what he has done and experienced the 
previous day. Here they ask questions and make com- 
plaints. And Mr. Boerresen gives advice and encour- 
ages them to be faithful in their calling. 

Several of them are unable to read. But strange as it 
may seem, they are familiar with the word of God, and 
their hymns, all of which are comparatively long, they 
sing by heart from beginning to end. But they have 
made up their minds to learn the art of reading, and after 
the meeting of the elders they take hold of the A-B-C 
book, some of the younger ones who have attended school 
serving as teachers. Some of these scholars are quite old, 
and it is interesting to witness with what youthful zest 
they apply themselves to the study of the little children’s 
book only in order to learn to read the word of God, 
which has become so dear to them. 

The work is carried on in the same way at the ether 



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CHURCH WORK 


153 


stations, though on a smaller scale. At each station is a 
leader who is either a minister or a catechist. He has his 
elders, or evangelists, with whom he goes out every day, 
and he guides them by giving them instruction individu- 
ally or in meetings with them. If several stations have a 
common superintendent he visits all of these in the course 
of the month and invites all of the station leaders and 
elders once a month to a meeting and tea festival. 

During the meeting at Ebenezer only one worker re- 
mains at each station. The others leave on Saturday for 
the common meeting, either on foot or on their ox-carts. 
At this meeting all the missionaries, — at present only 
Bodding, a Norwegian, Muston, a Scotchman, and the 
two founders of the mission, Messrs. Boerresen and 
Skrefsrud, — and the native ministers, catechists and evan- 
gelists present reports on their work. 

Here all affairs of the church are discussed. If there 
is any disagreement among the workers or complaint 
against a church member, missionary, minister, catechist 
or evangelist, it is presented here, and when all sides have 
been heard and all parties desiring to express themselves 
have done so, Mr. Boerresen, whom they all call ‘^papa’^ 
settles the matter. The Santhals are satisfied with his 
decision. No vote is taken. The church has adopted the 
usages employed in civil affairs: When both sides have 
been heard the chief and his advisers decide who is right. 

Only a few matters were considered at this meeting. 
But the methods of these people became perfectly clear to 
me. About one hundred native evangelists were present. 


154 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


One by one the station leaders, who were sitting in a 
circle around Mr. Boerresen, were called upon to report. 
No distinction was made between natives and Europeans. 
Mr. Boerresen also reported on his work. 

When all of them had reported any one had an oppor- 
tunity to speak, and whoever had anything on his mind 
received courteous attention. 

One of the elders explained that he was at loggerheads 
with his station leader. There was a festival in the church 
on Christmas eve, and the elder in question, who was a 
man of noble blood, found fault with the arrangements. He 
remained in the church only a short while, after which he 
went home. Later in the evening he invited his neighbors, 
treated them to tea and had a fine time. When the sta- 
tion leader was informed of this he went to the elder and 
told him that his action was not creditable to him. He 
ought to have remained in the church even though he 
thought the arrangement was defective. But the man 
could not stand this rebuke, and they had agreed to refer 
the matter to the monthly meeting. When both had ex- 
pressed themselves, calmly and decorously, Mr. Boerresen 
said that the station leader had done wrong for two cents 
and the elder for five cents. ^'Now stand up and shake 
hands, and never present such nonsense again 

They obeyed to the letter, rising and extending their 
hands in token of true friendship, and the others showed 
that they appreciated the humorous side of the trial. 

One man asked forgiveness for having had a slight col- 
lision with mamma (Mrs. Boerresen); but as he had for- 


WORK CARRIED ON BY NATIVES 


155 


gotten to ask her forgiveness first his case was dismissed. 

While Mr. Boerresen met with the men in the church 
Mrs. Boerresen met with the women in the court-yard of 
the girls’ school. As stated above, a number of widows 
are also employed as evangelists and are supported by the 
aid fund of the congregation. Mrs. Boerresen superin- 
tends their work, and they, as well as the wives of the 
ministers and catechists and of many evangelists, are re- 
porting to mamma and receiving her instructions and 
words of encouragement. Many of these women were 
once her scholars, and to them the monthly meetings are 
two-fold holidays. 

The above is a correct and fairly exhaustive account 
of the manner in which the work is carried on in this mis- 
sionary field. 

Messrs. Boerresen and Skrefsrud have repeatedly men- 
tioned in their letters and reports that it is really the na- 
tive assistants that are doing the missionary work among 
the heathen. But I always took this to be an expression 
of noble modesty rather than a sober statement of facts. 
After having had an opportunity to study the work at 
close quarters, I clearly see that the secret of the marvel- 
ous success of this mission is to be found in the fact that 
the missionaries from the very start kept the converted 
Santhals busy telling their heathen kinsmen about the 
Savior. 

The preaching of the Europeans does not make much 
of an impression upon these people. But let their con- 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


156 

verted kinsmen come into their houses, sit down on the 
floor with them and speak to them about the mercy of 
God — this is what counts. 

And these converts can point to themselves as ex- 
amples of the workings of God’s mercy. 

‘There is old Durga, for instance,” says Mr. Boerresen. 
“When the heathens excuse themselves and say, ‘We can- 
not become Christians because we cannot quit drinking 
liquor and getting drunk,’ old Diirga will reply: ‘Look 
at me ! Who among you are more addicted to drink than 
I was twenty-five years ago? But when I was permitted 
to see what God had done for me and I cried to Him in 
my distress He heard me. Then I got rid of this vice. If 
I had put off becoming a Christian until I had learnt 
to quit drinking I should have been a heathen yet. But I 
heard of Jesus and could not help loving Him. He drew 
my heart to Himself so that I became more fond of Him 
than of strong drink. Only listen to what He says. What 
He has done to me He can also do to you if you only turn 
your ears to Him. He will then win your hearts by His 
own work.’ No European can talk to the Santhals in this 
manner, and there you have the key to the secret.” 

When the people came to church on New-Year’s 
morning I noticed that many of them, and more particu- 
larly the women, carried large baskets on their heads and 
left them in front of the church. I thought they brought 
eatables. But when I saw four of Mrs. Boerresen’s school 
girls bringing a basket of rice each I had to ask why they 
carried those articles to church. 


HOW CHRISTIANS CARE FOR THE POOR 157 


'The girls have saved this from their allotment of food 
for the past month/’ said Mrs. Boerresen, "and now they 
are going to give it to the poor in the congregation. The 
other Christians bring their gifts at every monthly meet- 
ing, and the girls do not want to be behind, you see.” 

This reminded me of the custom of the early Chris- 
tians to bring gifts and place them at the feet of the 
apostles. 

Later in the day I asked Mr. Skrefsrud to explain to 
me more fully the way in which the Christian Santhals 
cared for the poor, and his answer is subjoined in full : 

"When we came to Santhalistan there was not a single 
beggar among the people. All were poor, but there was 
no begging. The unwritten law of the land prescribed 
that when a man died his wife and children should be 
cared for by his nearest relative. Such relative gladly 
cared for the bereaved family on account of kinship as 
well as because this increase in his family generally meant 
an increase in its capacity for work. 

"This custom was continued by the first converts. 
But then there happened to be Christians who had only 
heathen relatives. When one of this class died no one 
would have anything to do with his widow or children. 
Thus it devolved upon the Christians outside the family to 
care for them, and the aid was cheerfully offered. The 
missionaries took the lead by dropping a little money 
every Sunday into a box kept for that purpose, and the 
natives followed their example. They could not give 
much, generally small copper coins, a handful of rice or 


IS8 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

a small chicken. But the demands were trifling at first. 

‘The number of needy widows kept on increasing, and 
finally there were about forty in all. Mr. Boerresen, 
who was managing this aid fund, was constrained to ex- 
plain to his workers that he was no longer able to support 
the numerous widows and orphans without a material in- 
crease in the contributions, and the missionaries began 
to ask themselves whether they had struck the most suc- 
cessful and beneficial way of doing this work. 

“Mrs. Boerresen in particular, realizing the needs of 
her sex better than the men could, found the method ob- 
jectionable. She was afraid that some of these widows 
might be more inclined to reside in their own houses 
and live on what aid the church could furnish, than to 
be adopted into a family, for which they would have to 
work, and that they, for this reason, found no relatives to 
go to. 

“Mr. Boerresen and myself immediately saw that she 
had made a good point. But we also saw that we, being 
men, could not inquire into the matter so successfully as 
Mrs. Boerresen, and therefore we unanimously decided to 
refer the matter of supporting the widows to her depart- 
ment, to which it naturally belonged. 

“She immediately took hold of the matter with the ener- 
gy and sagacity which she alone is in possession of, and it 
did not take her long to find Christian families who were 
willing to care for the most of the needy people of this 
class. But it was also found that many widows were dis- 
satisfied with this arrangement. 


HOW CHRISTIANS CARE FOR THE POOR 159 


‘There are still a few who receive aid from the congre- 
gation. But they are either invalids and cripples or people 
who are employed in traveling around, bringing the gos- 
pel to the women or nursing the sick. 

“In this manner we avoided a great danger into which 
we were running in spite of the best of intentions. And 
again woman proved herself superior to us men. 

“A thirty years’ experience has convinced me that the 
less aid a poor Santhal receives in the shape of money or 
goods, the better he is off. And this experience has been 
expensive to me ; for I have given away everything that 
belonged to me, and now I see that my generosity has 
done more harm than good. 

“The Santhal is not what you would call lazy. But he 
is thoughtless. He does not think of working as long as 
there is food in his house. It is only when his wife in- 
forms him of the last handful of rice having been put into 
the kettle that he begins to scratch his back and think of 
bestirring himself. If he can borrow he will live high on 
his loan as long as it lasts, and only when he can borrow 
no more it strikes him that he must go to work. 

“But when he actually does work he works like a man. 
He is patient and persistent, provided he knows that he 
is compelled to work; and if he works he needs no aid. 
But if he thinks he can receive aid when he is at a pinch 
he takes comfort in this and remains idle. 

“For this reason I have made it a rule to give alms 
to no Santhal, and I would most strenuously urge it upon 
my coworkers not to aid the Santhals in this fashion. 


i6o LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

^Tt is a different matter, however, when the crops fail. 
Then it does not help to work. Then starvation stares 
everybody in the face, unless outside aid is forthcoming. 
The situation is similar in case of misfortunes, such as 
sickness, fire or cattle-plague. Under such extraordinary 
circumstances we are always ready to do all within our 
power to relieve the distress.’’ 



THIRTEENTH CHAPTER. 


In the Palanquin.— A Native Poet. — Haripur. — For the Sake of the 
Heathen. — Mercy, not Sacrifice. 

When a person is old and frail, sick or wounded, we 
may pardon him for permitting himself to be carried. But 
a man who is below the age of fifty, able-bodied, sound and 
strong, must be a fool, a Croesus or an emaciated nobleman 
if he does not permit his own legs to carry his body where 
vehicles cannot be used. I cannot put into print what 
feelings were aroused in me when I read about missionaries 
being carried by natives from place to place. 

Something is said in the Book about the feet of them 
that bring good tidings, and it is evidently put there be- 
cause the messengers of the gospel were wont to use their 
feet to walk on. They walked when other travelers were 
conveyed by means of man or beast; for, like the Master 
himself, they came not to be served but to serve others. 
From the manner in which these evangelists traveled 
from place to place we are even in our day^ in the habit 
of saying that he who walks on foot ^Mrives with the horses 
of the apostles.’’ 

Necessity might compel me to ride in a vehicle drawn 

[i6i] 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


162 

by eight men. It would not require very great exertions. 
But the very idea of being carried ! 

It is only twelve English miles from Ebenezer, in Nan- 
kar, to Haripur, in Sultanabad. I have footed twice that 
distance in one day, and I ought to be able to make this 
short distance at least as easily as those who were to 
carry Mr. Boerresen. 

A palanquin was ordered for me too, however, and 
eight men were already on hand to serve me, four to carry 
me and four others to relieve them. 

A small army had been sent out ahead of us with tables, 
chairs, beds, kettles, pans and dishes. 

I could easily forgive Mr. Boerresen for seating him- 
self in the palanquin. Such an amiable and at the same 
lime ingenious man as he, must be forgiven no matter what 
he does. Besides, a period of thirty years lies between 
him and me. Age alone might excuse him. But as to 
myself I could trump up no excuse for taking advantage 
of this kind of conveyance. I therefore said flatly, “No, 
I’ll walk.” 

“That’s all right,” Mr. Boerresen admitted. “You may 
walk. It’s of course so much easier for the carriers.” But 
they had to go along, carrying the empty chair, for they 
had been hired for that purpose. This was none of my 
business, of course. 

Mr. Skrefsrud looked at his older coworker just as 
though he had a trump in his sleeve for future use; then 
ran into the house and returned with a thick cane which 
he handed to me, saying: “Here, take this; you may need 


IN THE PALANQUIN 163 

a support on your way/’ I thanked him and the expedition 
set out. 

Walk! Why should I not walk? It was not so very 
warm, about the same as on a mild summer day in America. 
I would at last give those dark-brown creatures a chance 
to see a European who could use his legs. 

Oh, are they going to run? They will soon get tired 
of that. Well, they shall find out that I can run too. One, 

two — one, two — trip, trap — rip, rap Ugh ! 

That’s well done! Now I have to breathe in this hill. 

But the others do not seem to be out of breath. They, 
are jogging along at the same rate. 

Did you ever! Well, I have to start again — rip, rap 

— rip, rap Hoo! How warm it is getting! 

The distance between us is getting greater and greater. I 
give up the race. 

^‘Hallo there! Will you let me have a ride?” Then 
Mr. Boerresen and the natives had a good laugh. This 
must have been the greatest fun they have had since we 
cut the Christmas tree. But I have a faint suspicion that 
Mr. Boerresen had instructed his men to give the Ameri- 
can a lesson in manners. And it was a healthy dose. Hav- 
ing seated myself comfortably in the palanquin and hav- 
ing readjusted my lungs to some extent, I decreed a 
wholesale pardon to all missionaries who let natives carry 
them. There may be a few unworthy subjects among 
them. But it is better to pardon a lazy dog now and then 
than to stigmatize the innocent. That story about ‘‘the 
horses of the apostles” must be applied in other climes. 


164 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The carriers did not inquire where the road was. They 
cut straight across the rice-fields, forded rivers and waded 
through bogs with an ease and dispatch which soon con- 
vinced me that a ride of this kind did not involve any risk 
of life or limb. Nor did it seem to tax the strength of the 
carriers to any appreciable degree. Two of them had their 
flutes along, and, excepting short intervals, these instru- 
ments were used all the time by the reserve behind us. 

Outside one of the villages through which we passed 
we were met by the whole population, including even the 
children, the men on one side of the road and the women 
on the other. Upon a signal given by their chief they all 
greeted us by shouting a long and powerful, ^'Johar papa, 
Johar saheb!” They permitted us to pass through their 
ranks, whereupon they joined our expedition in the rear 
and followed us into their village. 

We remained in this village about half an hour. 

The head-man was a Christian. He took us into his com- 
pound and showed us his house and provisions. We had 
to pass through the stable on our way into the compound. 
But it was clean and tidy. His sitting-room was small and 
dark. Over in a corner he kept the year’s crops — a 
rather scanty supply for the support of a large family. 
But these people are contented with little, and as a rule 
the Christians are also saving and know better than the 
heathen how to make both ends meet. 

The missionary station Saphadoa is located on our 
way. Here the poet and Santhal preacher Sibo is sta- 
tioned. He is a member of a prominent family of chiefs. 


A NATIVE POET 


165 


As a young man he led a life of extreme dissipation and 
was a terror to his neighbors until he was reclaimed and 
regenerated by the power of the gospel. Since that 
change he has been the blessed means of saving others. 
He is a gifted and influential man, whose appearance and 
general deportment testify to his noble birth as well as 
to his profound earnestness and whole-souled devotion to 
the cause which has become the great aim of his life. 

Pie too, accompanied by his people, met us outside the 
village, where we stopped a little while and took a look at 



Saphadoa. 


the church and the plain yet very handsome parsonage. 

Plaripur is beautifully located. It is built on an airy ele- 
vation and affords a charming view of the surrounding 
landscape. 

For a time this place was served by a European mis- 
mionary, whose family relations were such that he had to 
return home after a few years’ stay among the Santhals. 
Of the beautiful and roomy building which the mission 
had erected for him, only, the walls remained standing, 
the rest having been destroyed by fire. 

Now the station was managed by a native catechist. 


i66 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


a lovable man, who has since been permitted to go to his 
home above. 

A plain but attractive brick church had been built 'at 
this place. The middle of the building is occupied by 
the auditorium, and in either end is a room for the ac- 
commodation of the missionaries on their journeys. There 
we established our headquarters for the next three days. 

Our outfit had already arrived. Beds, tables, chairs 
and other necessary furniture were soon put in their places, 
the carriers were paid, one by one, as they had arranged 
themselves in a row. They also received an extra penny 
to buy food for. Still the expenses were small in pro- 
portion to the distance and the number of men employed. 

Now we had only Mr. Boerresen’s cook and my serv- 
ant left. They prepared our food, made our beds, brushed 
our clothes and brought us promptly whatever we point- 
ed to. 

“This is a comfortable station,” I said to Mr. Boerre- 
sen. “What preacher could wish for a more idyllic place 
to live in, and what is lacking to make this an ideal abode? 
In Christian America — and Europe too, for that matter 
— there are but few ministers who would not give up their 
old charges if they were offered a place like this.” 

“Well,” Mr. Boerresen said, “when we appointed a 
missionary for this station we could not help thinking of 
what we ourselves had to undergo during-our first years of 
work in this field. We had to eat and sleep in arbors and 
stables. If he were to be treated the same way, he would 
soon become discouraged and leave us. Therefore I 


FOR THE SAKE OF THE HEATHEN 167 


hired men to erect that house of which you now see only 
the scorched walls, and the improvements made here are 
such as to give this station the appearance of a fine little 
’ park. The locality was a wilderness when we began to 
work here. But he did not stay here long anyway. He 
had to leave on account of his family. 

^‘Now you may see what preparations we make for the 
missionaries that come to us. It must be admitted that 
it is inconvenient in various ways to live in such a se- 
cluded place as this. But the life of a missionary also 
has certain advantages. The most of the missionaries in 
India are comfortably situated, they live like lords in com- 
parison with what many of them would have been offered 
if they had remained in Europe. We suffer no want. And 
the friends of the missions need take no great pity on us. 
The sufferers are the heathen, the poor people among 
whom we are laboring. These millions who do not know 
God need the sympathy of the friends of the missions. 
A missionary of course makes sacrifices, but if it be granted 
to him to witness such results as we have seen, his sacri- 
fices are trifling. I pity those missionaries who see no 
fruits of their work. They might need the sympathy of 
the patrons of the missions. We do not need it. The San- 
thals need us, however, and when we appealed to Europe 
and America for help we did not do it to arouse sympathy 
for ourselves, but to enlist the love of our fellow Christians 
for the Santhals, to the end that they may be saved. And 
we are under obligations to our friends because they have 
listened to us and taken the cause of the Santhals to heart. 


i68 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


have staked our lives on this people, and our friends 
have given their money — not for our benefit, as we hope 
— but for the benefit of the same cause. We are laboring 
for the Santhals, and so do you people in America and 
Europe.” 

While yet a young man, I heard a missionary from 
Madagascar express himself to the same effect. “Many 
people give to the missions chiefly in order to aid the 
missionaries, whom they take to be leading wretched lives 
among savage tribes, while they may be wholly indifferent 
to the needs of the preachers of the gospel at home. 

“It often happens that accounts of the hardships and 
sufferings of the missionary bring the largest contribu- 
tions to the mission fund. But this is not as it ought to 
be. It is true that a missionary will have to forego many 
comforts which are offered to a man in a civilized commu- 
nity. On the other hand he may be a gainer in some 
respects. I for one must honestly confess that I think 
I have made no great sacrifice in devoting my life to the 
salvation of the heathen. In fact it is a great advantage. 
It was a matter of grace, not of sacrifice, that I was per- 
mitted to go to the heathen. But it is true that I went 
for the sake of the heathen. And I have lost nothing 
thereby. I wish that you too would learn to love the poor 
heathen and accompany your gifts with prayers that they 
may be saved.” 


FOURTEENTH CHAPTER. 


A Charming Sunset. — Homesickness. — An Evening with the Natives# 
— Intolerable Music.— A Fishing Expedition. — Hunting. 

What a glorious sunset ! The stately fruit-trees of dif- 
ferent kinds are casting their dark shadows farther and 
farther across the seared autumnal fields, and the shep- 
herd boy, with bow and arrow in hand, is chasing his flock 
home from the meager pastures. Down in the valley the 
sun has already said good-bye for to-day, while wheat-fields 
that are watered from elevated reservoirs remain here and 
there as dark-green specks, reminding us of spring-life 
among the dry, dead rice-fields all around. Birds, big and 
small, all of them strange to me, flock together and con- 
ceal themselves in the tree-tops. They look so gay and 
happy, and there is nothing to disturb them in the least. 
By great toil they have gathered what they needed for the 
day, and everything portends a quiet night. Let the mor- 
row take care of itself. The hill-side to the west is as- 
suming a dark hue, and now it is only the summit of the 
highest ridge in the background that wears a crown of 
gold. But this is what makes it so charmingly beautiful. 
The dark surroundings serve as a proper set-off. But it 
[169] 


170 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


lasts only a few seconds. The sun sinks deeper on the 
other side, says good-night to the ridge and the pic- 
turesque landscape, to rise again on this side in twelve 
hours. 

Then came a spell of sadness. Involuntarily my 
thoughts reverted homeward. There is at least one place 
on earth that is more beautiful than this — the home. 
And it is the most beautiful because our dear ones are 
there. 

What is it that makes heaven so attractive to the be- 
liever? Is it the streets of gold, the gates of pearl, trees 
that bear fruit twelve times a year, the crystalline waters 
and the sun that never sets or is obscured by clouds? 
What good would all this splendor do if one found him- 
self separated from him or them that he loves. It would 
only be a source of sadness and longing and pining away. 
The believer has one Friend to whom his heart clings and 
in whose presence he is anxious to be. This Friend is 
in heaven, where He is seated to the right of the Father. 
Therefore the believer desires to go there, and he is happy 
there. It is his home. 

Now the Christians are gathering. They are coming 
from the neighboring villages to visit us and to attend our 
evening prayer meeting. 

Bamboo mats were spread out on the veranda of the 
residence of the catechist to sit on, and two chairs were 
brought to us from our room. 

A lantern was lit and hung under the roof that we 
should not be sitting in the dark. 


AN EVENING WITH THE NATIVES 171 


These people did not sit moping, gazing into vacan- 
cy until the minister solemnly announced the number of 
the hymn. That sort of weed does not thrive where Mr. 
Boerresen has something to say. It is told that he once 
met a number of men in a European capital who had 
manifested great interest in his mission, but whose view 
of life was dark. He was cheerful as usual. But this 
only made them the more austere. He observed this and 
asked them if they were sick or afflicted at something. 

^^Oh, no, thank God ! we are not sick. But we are so 
afraid that we may be too gay and lose our own souls.” 

^‘Alas, I know this brand of goods. There are some 
people even in Christian countries who think they must 
deal somewhat in religion in order to please God and be 
saved by grace. Therefore they walk the way of the flesh 
and look surly and suppose that this will make them good 
examples before the world. If we missionaries were to 
wear your faces we would act as scare-crows upon the 
heathen. No, my friends, if the grace of God has lighted 
up our hearts all surliness and austerity must be banished 
from our looks and our conduct.” 

These people could look each other in the face. Their 
first desire was to know about '^papa’s” health and then 
about the condition of ''mamma” and "kerap” and the chil- 
dren. They fired questions at Mr. Boerresen, and he an- 
swered. Every now and then they would laugh like chil- 
dren when papa tells them some very enjoyable bit of 
news. 

Then came my turn. Mr. Boerresen served as inter- 


172 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


preter. They asked all kinds of questions about America 
and its people. They shivered so that the whole veranda 
shook when I told them about the depth of the snow and 
the thickness of the ice which we are accustomed to in 
winter. They enjoy warm weather, but cold weather is 
a terror to them. Hence it is not likely that I induced 
any of them to emigrate to America. 

When their inquisitiveness seemed to be exhausted and 
all their questions had been answered, Mr. Boerresen com- 
menced to ply them with questions. He wished to know 
how they had been getting along in every respect since 
his last visit to them. 

This gave them a new start, and all their joys and griefs 
were told. Some of them had been sick, and several of 
their relatives had departed. In some cases the family 
had increased. One enlarged upon the great affliction 
caused by the loss of his best cow ; but his friends had as- 
sisted him in procuring a heifer. Some had been convert- 
ed, and others bad indicated that they soon would come. 

In the midst of the talk Mr. Boerresen would strike up 
a song, and big and small would join him. He would 
also tell them something from the gospels, and they were 
on the point of applauding when something struck them 
with exceptional force. 

Upon retiring to our quarters the old missionary said : 
^‘Now, my dear friend, you will understand our happiness. 
Many a pleasant hour have I spent with these children 
of nature.” 

The pagans in the neighboring villages were still cele* 


INTOLERABLE MUSIC 


173 


brating the Christmas holidays. They have their great 
autumn festival in the early part of January. They keep 
on sacrificing, drinking, dancing and playing day and 
night, uninterruptedly, for a whole week. The dance- 
music is furnished by drum and flute, and its monotony 
is absolutely intolerable to Occidental ears. 

One may learn to endure many things. But if I had 
given vent to my feelings while I was lying there night 
after night, vainly trying to close my ears against this 
favorite music of the Santhals, my expressions would 
scarcely have been edifying enough to warrant the print- 
ing of them. But the circumstances were unfavorable. 
The mosquitoes, for instance, would have furnished a de- 
sirable variation if they had not been quite so aggressive 
in dealing with strangers. It caused me far less annoyance 
to hear Mr. Boerresen, who was sleeping at the other end 
of the building, quoting passages from the Bible and sing- 
ing h;^mns in all the languages of the world, as it seemed 
to me. In the morning he assured me himself that he had 
dreamt nonsense the whole night. But in me it gave 
rise to the idea that the venerable old man is living in the 
Bible, sleeping in the Bible, and that some fine day he will 
lie down to die in the Bible. 

The great autumn festival comprises a fishing expedi- 
tion and a hunting expedition. I wanted to go along 
fishing. The catechist and a couple of elders accompa- 
nied me. They too were fond of fish and had procured 
fishing-gear. 

The whole forenoon was devoted to the preparations. 


174 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The nets had to be mended and everything had to be put 
in proper shape. Then the alarm was sounded. The whole 
village, men and women, large and small congregated, and 
the expedition started under the leadership of the head- 
man. It was quite natural for me to suppose that we were 
to go down to the river, a distance of some two English 
miles. But we stopped at one of the nearest artificial 
ponds. 

This procedure was beyond my comprehension. The 
most of the men were armed with something which looked 
very much like a bag-net, and the others had a round net 
which was about ten yards in diameter and had a rope 
attached to it in the middle. The men were standing 
around the pond, which was about fifty yards square, and 
the women and children were lying or sitting on the hill- 
side, waiting for further developments. 

For fully half an hour nothing was done. Then the head- 
man gave a signal, and all the men rushed into the water 
at the same time and began to drag for fish. Those hav- 
ing the round net were the most successful. By a dexter- 
ous movement they spread it out on the surface of the 
water. A row of small stones attached to the edge of the 
net pressed it down to the bottom, and by pulling the 
rope in the center the men gathered up large quantities 
of weeds. 

The fish were among the weeds. They varied in size, 
the largest ones being about two inches long and half an 
inch wide. When a net was filled its contents were thrown 
out on the hill, where the women and children had to 



Fishinfi^ in the River 



■ ^ V- - 
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A FISHING EXPEDITION 


.177 


sort the fish, while the men kept on dragging. When 
no living thing remained in the pond, the expedition broke 
up, and another pond was cleaned out in the same manner. 
Finally the catch was distributed, and the fishing expedi- 
tion was at an end. 

The women, upon returning home, at once began to 
cook the fish. Not a scale or fin was removed, but the 
little things were put into the kettle just as they were when 
pulled out of the water. Oil and several kinds of spices 
were added. Having been mixed with boiled rice, the 
mess was finally served out to the different members of 
the family and consumed, heads and tails and fins going 
down with the rest of the mixture. 

The following day was devoted to hunting. Drums 
and flutes were a part of the equipment. There were no 
guns in the whole village. Bow and arrow, sword and 
battle-ax are the gnly weapons that a native of India is 
permitted to possess. 

The Americans prohibit the sale of liquor to Indians. 
But we supply him abundantly with the best of fire-arms, 
and when he thinks we have offended him he raises his 
gun and fires. The English have pursued a different 
course. They let the native have liquor until he drops; 
but woe unto him that sells a shot-gun to a native without 
special permission! 

The result is that even in our day the native must resort 
to bow and arrow when he decides to shoot something 
for his table. 

This fact explains how a handful of Englishmen can 
govern such an immense number of people as the popu- 
lation of India. 


FIFTEENTH CHAPTER. 


In Basethkundi. — Chet Kana? — A Pair of Shoes* — Have You a 
Wife? — A Queer School-Master. 


' Ranga, January 24. 

Yesterday I was carried sixteen English miles. We 
stayed several days at Basethkundi, from which place we 
made trips to several smaller stations. On Friday I had 
a slight attack of fever, and yesterday, when we had to 
move, I was not permitted to sit in the palanquin. Mr. 
Boerresen told the natives to build a roof over my bed 
and to tie a long bamboo pole to either side of it, and the 
men carried me without disturbing my rest. 

The heathen of Basethkundi have repeatedly been stir- 
red up by powerful spiritual revivals, especially during 
the service of Rev. Sibus at that place. 

Hundreds of people came night and day to hear and to 
learn. ^'On such occasions there was praying and sing- 
ing, grief and joy, alternately. Here we have witnessed 
many strange proofs of the power of the gospel of God 
upon famished children of men,’’ Mr. Boerresen says. 
'‘For some time past our people at Basethkundi have been 


CHET KANA? 


179 


suffering under a spell of indifference. But I trust the 
time of the Lord’s visitation will return.” 

One of the evangelists, a cheerful old soul, gave me 
his shoes as a souvenir of my visit to his house. Until 
that time I had seen no native wear shoes, for in winter 
it is cold enough to go barefoot. 

But shoes are used very extensively in India during 
the hot and rainy seasons. But they are not like our 
footwear. When I saw this first pair of shoes standing 
by the door I wondered what they were intended for. 
I pointed to them and said, ''Chet kana?” I had almost 
forgotten the meaning of these words. But it exhausted 
my vocabulary of the language of the country, except- 
ing the words "johar” and "hakopako”. But I knew the 
latter were not suitable. So I said, "Chet kana?” They 
were the right words too. I found that out afterwards. 

The by-standers looked at me and laughed. I would 
not attempt to repeat what they said, for it is beyond my 
ability. But they looked at me as you or I would look 
when something unpardonably silly is said. I maintain, 
until I am convinced to the contrary, that the following 
is a fairly good version of their remarks: "Oh, sacred 
simplicity! The man does not know even what a pair 
of shoes is!” 

Well, I have nothing to boast of. But I would be 
glad to see the man in whom the first sight of two such 
things could not arouse curiosity. Two plain blocks of 
wood with a brass knob in one end. Who would take 
these to be a pair of shoes? 


i8o LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

But the man convinced me by donning the shoes in 
less time than it takes to read this, and walking about 
in them. Until then I had never known why our Lord 
furnished our feet with toes. No, I beg your pardon. I 
once saw a man who had been born without arms and 
hands. He used the feet. He could load a pistol and 
shoot, thread a needle and sew, he could write, draw, shave 
himself, use knife and fork — all by means of his toes. 
To him, you see, the toes were of great service. But it 
never occurred to me that well-shaped and well-grown 
people could have any use for toes. Now it struck me all 
of a sudden that this is where the use of the toes comes 
in. Millions of people in Inlia could not use their shoes 
if they did not have these little limbs on their feet. Now 
they seize the shoes by the knob in the front end and start 
off. When they return home they drop the shoes at the 
door and walk barefoot into the house. 

While Mr. Boerresen one day was standing in front of 
a compound and talking to the heathen a dreadfully shab- 
by-looking man was standing by a tree. He was a man 
of gigantic build, towering twice the length of his head 
above the crowd. I pointed to him and asked Mr. Boer- 
resen if this was one of his Christians. 

Mr. Boerresen walked up to the man, raised himself on 
tip-toe and stared him squarely in the face. He said some- 
thing which caused a hearty laughter. The man looked 
carelessly down upon Mr. Boerresen and, according to my 
idea, made some dry remarks, which created still greater 
hilarity among the people. 


HAVE YOU A WIFE? 


i8i 

‘‘I ask him/’ said Mr. Boerresen, turning to me, 
‘‘whether he has a wife, and to this he answers ‘yes/ Next 
I ask him if he is drinking liquor, and^ to this he also 
answers ‘yes’ and continues, ‘I was drunk yesterday. But 
I make no fuss when I am drunk, I go and lie down.’ It 
was this last statement that elicited the greatest applause, 
for there is satire in it. The natives believe that the Eu- 
ropeans are naturally more wicked than other creatures, 
and they have their own way of demonstrating it. They 
claim that the true nature of a person is manifested when 
he is drunk. When a native gets tipsy he becomes jolly, 
he talks and sings about his ancestors and plays with his 
companions until he grows weary and lies down. But 
when a European drinks he becomes furious. Then he hits 
upon all sorts of things which he otherwise would not men- 
tion, and makes himself a nuisance wherever he goes. At 
home he plays the brute, beating his wife and children, 
smashing dishes and furniture and everything that he 
comes in contact with. Such is the behavior of the Eu- 
ropean.” 

I thought to myself. He that buys these people as fool- 
ish and thoughtless is simply cheated in the deal. 

A school for children was taught on the veranda in 
front of the church in which we were stopping. 

A counterpart of this schoolmaster you have never 
seen. He is hardly twenty summers old, is small of sta- 
ture and has only one leg that he can walk on. The other 
leg is shriveled up below the knee, that part of it standing 
out behind at right angles with the thigh, and the toes 


1 82 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


dangling loosely as though there were no bones in them. 

But this does not prevent him from moving about. 
A long pole serves in place of the defective leg. He puts 
one end of the pole on the ground a few feet ahead, 
holds it firmly with both hands, makes a vigorous kick 
with his well foot, and up he flies, landing some distance 
beyond the lower end of the pole. In this fashion he 
takes about six feet to each step, and I would like to see 
the man who can walk as fast as this schoolmaster. 

He found some trouble in carrying his slim, elastic 
cane. But this trouble contributed to make the whole 
figure still more comical. No matter how I pitied the 
poor cripple, I could not refrain from laughing out aloud 
when I saw him coming toward the church in the morn- 
ing, bounding along in his original manner. 

Whether he had any deeper appreciation of his call- 
ing, I could not make out to a certainty ; but it seemed to 
me that he did not go to his work with any exaggerated 
solemnity. 

He flung his pole away and threw himself down on the 
floor, holding his cane in one hand. His crooked leg 
made it difficult for him to sit like other people. Therefore 
he preferred to lie, or he would let his leg hang down over 
the edge of the veranda. 

He took hold of the A-B-C book without any further 
ceremonies, struck the floor with his cane, and the chil- 
dren made a general assault upon the alphabet, producing 
a humming sound. They all read, or rather sang, the let- 
ters at the same time. Some looked into the book, others 


A QUEER SCHOOL-MASTER 


183 

at the stranger. Some pointed to 1 and sang a, others 
pointed to p and called it v. Such sham work was re- 
peatedly detected by the teacher. Then he would correct 
the erring ones by means of his mouth and his cane, 
and the grinding was resumed. If this is kept up until 
next Christmas the alphabet will no doubt be sung into 
their memories for good. 

Mr. Boerresen, who doubtless is the greater pedagogue 
of the two, made a hint to the professor that the letters 
alone might be too slender fare for the children. He 
ought to vary the program by teaching them a few stan- 
zas from the hymn-book and singing with them. But it 
stands to reason that he did not care to take up that 
branch while we were within hearing. He was evidently 
more familiar with the A-B-C than with any other subject. 

But he is doing his very best. He is a cripple, poor 
fellow, and unfit for physical labor. But here he may make 
himself useful. The Christians have hired him to teach 
their children to read. They require no more of him, and 
under the circumstances no more ought to be expected 
of him. He is doing a good work and deserves all the 
credit he receives. God bless him ! 

On Friday we made a trip to Kakjol, another station. 
At this place a rhymester had made a song for Mr. Boer- 
resen. It was sung by the congregation while we were 
carried into the compound. But Mr. Boerresen, who is 
becoming hard of hearing, did not notice it. Then they 
walked up to him and urged him to listen, and they would 
sing the song once more. This time they were more sue- 


i 84 light in the DARKNESS 

cessful. I do not doubt their good intention. But 1 
have an opinion of my own about the poetical and musical 
merits of the affair. 

In this assemblage was a woman that wore a ring in 
her nose and heavy brass clamps around her ankles. Her 
expression and behavior, however, were not out of the 
way. 

‘Ts she one of your Christian women?’’ I asked. 

Mr. Boerresen walked up a little closer, looked first 
at the woman, then at the others. 

^Who is this woman?” 

They all looked at her and smiled. They knew what 
he meant. Yes, she was the wife of a blacksmith, and she 
had recently become a Christian. 

^^And she still wears a ring in her nose!” 

^‘We have not thought of removing it,” the catechist 
explained. But the others thought she had donned her 
trinkets on that day for the sake of "‘papa.” 

^These people are children,” Mr. Boerresen said, ^^and 
we have to treat them as such. We have never instructed 
any of them to put away their ornaments when they be- 
come Christians. But they have done it of their own 
choice. It looks as if they cannot well put up with filth, 
nose-rings and foot-clamps outside of heathenism.” 

On Sunday there was a large meeting at Basethkundi. 
The Christians were gathered from the stations through- 
out the Sultanabad district. Cantena, a catechist, preached 
on this occasion. But I had to stay in bed and could 
not hear him. 


THE TEAPOT BURST 


185 


It was a great loss. It would have been a treat to see 
him gesticulate. He expostulates with his arms, fingers, 
head, in short, the whole figure speaks. He can use his 
mouth, there is no chance for mistakes on that point ; but 
his posture, his movements, the play of his features are 
perfect. Him I could understand though he did not speak 
one word. 

A tea festival took place in the afternoon. But it was 
not a complete success. Just as the tea was ready the 
kettle burst, and the sweet beverage was spilt on the 
ground. But this misfortune caused no worry. A new 
earthen kettle was brought, and into this was put the tea 
which remained at the bottom of the broken kettle; new 
water was poured in; the drink was sweetened with mo- 
lasses; and the good people had tea after all. But it 
was thin — I had a taste of it. 



SIXTEENTH CHAPTER. 


Ranga.— Creaking Vehicles. — A Surly Station Leader. — A Power- 
less Head-Man. — We Obtained Carriers. — Chandurpur. — A Lazy 
Catechist. — With Bodding. — Back to Ebenezer. 

Ebenezer, January 27. 

The location of Ranga is grand and romantic. An 
opening in a dense forest, and yet so elevated as to af- 
ford a view of the surrounding landscape for miles and 
miles. The whole country before my eyes is wild and 
mountainous and reminds me of the places where I 
roamed about in my boyhood and spent the happiest 
days of my life. 

But there was one thing which I did not like. It was 
the public highway passing by. The road itself was good 
enough. But the blessed vehicles! Imagine hundreds 
of ox-carts with wheels consisting of triangular, quadran- 
gular, pentangular and omniangular blocks of wood with 
a hole in the neighborhood of the center, wheels that 
never smelt grease — imagine, I say, hundreds of such 
wagons passing by at an even, unfailing tenor through- 
out the whole night where you are trying to rest your 
weary limbs, and you will understand why I would like 


CREAKING VEHICLES 


187 


to have this road removed to some other place. In the 
day there was nothing to complain of, this being the regu- 
lar time for the oxen to rest. But in the night ! A cease- 
less creaking and groaning. We slept in the church, or 
rather tried to sleep. But it was none too edifying. If 



A Cart. 


it is at all possible to be worried to death I believe it 
could be accomplished under such circumstances as these. 
Should not these people be taught manners at least to 
the extent of making their cart-wheels round and keep- 
ing their wooden axles fairly well greased? But Mr. Boer- 
resen was of opinion that it would take over one hundred 
measures of oil a week to silence all the cart-axles passing 


i88 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


by that place. But that remedy would be too expensive. 
It would be much cheaper to apply liberal doses of patience 
to the soul of the sufferer, and we tried this remedy to the 
best of our ability. 

Mr. Boerresen was not pleased with the situation at 
Ranga. There were quite a few lovely men among the 
working people. But the manager of the station did not 
seem to be made of the right stuff. He appeared to me 
to be surly and cross and did not seem to be on the best 
of terms with the others, and this could easily be traced in 
the character of the work accomplished. 

The heathen of this locality were also more cranky and 
untractable than those visited by us elsewhere. The in- 
habitants of the village from which we had ordered car- 
riers had spent the previous night in drinking and dan- 
cing, and in the morning the chief of the village, a faint- 
hearted old fellow, came and told us that he could not 
persuade his men to come. Mr. Boerresen sent him away 
again and made him understand that we were bound to 
go and that men must be procured some way or another. 
A few hours later he returned and declared emphatically 
that he had found it impossible to procure men. 

Now the pargana of the district was sent for. 

Originally the kings were the owners of the land in 
India. The peasants were only tenants who paid an an- 
nual tax for the use of their land. This tax was collected 
by zemindars, who often occupied the position of sub- 
kings. When the English came to power in India the 
zemindars claimed that they were the real owners of the 


CHANDURPUR 


189 

land, and they actually succeeded in having their claims 
legalized. The zemindar pays taxes for his whole dis- 
trict to the government, and afterwards taxes the indi- 
vidual farmer. The most of these landowners, or small 
kings, are full-fledged scoundrels, and some of them go 
so far that the government has been compelled to inter- 
fere and even confiscate their land. 

The last mentioned has been the case in the district in 
which Ranga is located. The land belongs to the govern- 
ment, and the pargana is also a sort of functionary in the 
service of the government. As such he has to see that the 
Europeans passing through his district receive the needed 
help upon paying reasonable fees. 

For this purpose the pargana was sent for in the above 
case. He came, but did not look pleasant. He is a heathen. 
His talk was wholly evasive, and upon his departure he 
said neither yes nor no. But early in the afternoon the old 
chief came with his men, and from the village of the par- 
gana there also came a crowd, swelling the company to 
twice the required number. 

Our next place of stopping was Chandurpur. Here a 
missionary named Bunkholdt had been stationed for many 
years, until he was removed to Assam, where he soon died. 
During the past year a Dane had stayed there, but had 
removed a few days before our arrival, his private affairs in 
Denmark having necessitated his removal. Hence the 
whole building at this station was at our disposal. 

There are many Christians at this place, and it is an 


190 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


important missionary field. But it was plainly evident that 
the work had been neglected of late. 

Since the departure of Bunkholdt a native catechist 
has had charge of the station. This task is too much 
for him. The natives are splendid workmen in small 
groups or under the wise leadership of a European. But 
so far only a very few of them have been able to manage 
a fair-sized congregation. This man, who had a disposi- 
tion to grow stout, had ^^expanded’’, in body as well as in 
mind, since his promotion, and now that the Danish family 
was compelled to leave after such a brief stay he became 
still greater. His latest departure, for instance, was to 
devote most of his time to office work at home and to send 
out the elders under him right and left, without accom- 
panying them and assisting them in their work in the 
neighboring villages. I understand that he will either be 
suspended or reduced in rank. 

On the next day we removed to Mohulpohari, where 
Bodding, a Norwegian, is stationed. He has only a 
limited territory to cover. He has devoted most of his 
time to literary work. His text-book on religion for the 
use of those who are to be educated for preaching and 
teaching, has just been published. 

As a proof of the enormous energy of this man it may 
be mentioned that he has translated the whole of the Old 
Testament into Santhali and is now, in company with Mr. 
Skrefsrud, who is famous as a linguist, engaged in revising 
the version, which is to be printed at the expense of the 


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WITH BOBBING 


193 


British and Foreign Bible Society, and he has not yet 
been ten years in the country. 

Mr. Bodding is a scholar in the best sense of the word, 
and his work will be of inestimable value to the Santhals 
in the future. He is also a plain Christian, and what little 
I had occasion to see of his intercourse with the natives 
convinced me that he, with his quiet and gentle ways and 
in spite of his reserved character, constitutes, without his 
own knowledge, a necessary factor in the great and pros- 
perous work which is being done for this peculiar people. 
He is no iconoclast, or what we usually call a pioneer. But 
when the history of this mission is written his place will 
be second only to that of the founders of the mission. 

From Mohulpohari to Ebenezer we had a delightful 
ride. Mr. Bodding had sent two men to Ebenezer to 
fetch Mr. Skrefsrud's cariole, and as we now could use the 
post-road our eight carriers pulled us over the last stretch 
of our journey at a gallop. 

This was the end of a seventeen days’ tour of the land 
of the Santhals, one of the most memorable trips of my 
life. 



SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER. 


Wisdom. — Zeal without Knowledge. — The Missionary Must Learn 
from the Heathen.— Th«" Heathen Knows of God. — The Testimony of 
Bishop Thoburn. — Idea of Right and Wrong. — Skrefsrud at the Feet 
of 'a Native. 

We were just reading an account of the killing of 
some missionaries by the natives. To this Mr. Boerresen 
made the remark that in his opinion such murders are due 
to the follies of the missionaries themselves rather than to 
anything else, and Mr. Skrefsrud was inclined to endorse 
his opinion. They seemed to agree that they too had had 
the best of opportunities to become martyrs of that kind. 

Unfortunately so many young missionaries fail to com- 
bine their zeal for God with knowledge. They proceed 
on the assumption that the heathen knows nothing and 
has nothing which it is worth while for them to learn or 
respect. They pose as his teachers before they have ac- 
quired a sufficient knowledge of his language, character, 
traditions, institutions and customs, thereby making them- 
selves ridiculous in the eyes of the native from the start, 
and afterwards courting persecution. The mere complex- 
ion of the missionary is apt to suggest both stupidity and 


ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE 


195 


malice. His ignorance, however, will be pardoned by 
the natives if he demonstrates by a modicum of humility 
and docility that his soul is not so mean as his skin is white. 
If he refrains from posing as their teacher, but on the con- 
trary strives to learn from them, no one will either perse- 
cute or kill him on account of the course pursued by him. 
But when he fails to consult their laws and their notions 
as to what is sacred or sinful, and makes himself guilty of 
on crime after another, he ought not to expect to gain the 
confidence and respect of the people, without which his 
work among them will be a failure. An elderly missionary 
from another field has told me that when he reflects on 
his behavior at the start he cannot comprehend how his 
life was spared. He committed one mortal sin after an- 
other. He observed that he offended the people, but 
did not have the remotest idea of the nature of the offense. 
If he had taken time to learn from the people at the be- 
ginning he would not only have avoided many difficulties 
but also achieved greater results for the kingdom of God. 

It may be assumed that there are but few missionaries 
who sit down at the feet of the natives to learn what con- 
ceptions they have of God, human life, death and eternity. 
Practically all assume that the heathen know nothing of 
God and that all their ideas are erroneous. Therefore the 
missionaries inaugurate their work by endeavoring to con- 
vince the heathen of the existence of a living God who 
created heaven and earth and before whom all men shall 
be arraigned at some future time. The heathen will listen 
to this and finally reply: ''We know this already. Why 


196 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


not tell us something we do not know since you claim to 
be our teacher anyway?’’ Even a man like Bishop J. M. 
Thoburn, who has been engaged in missionary work for 
more than a third of a century in India, has this to say : 

am frank to confess that when in early youth, I 
came to India as a missionary, I was under the impression 
that after learning the language my first work would be 
to convince the people that there was a God, the Creator 
of heaven and earth ; and hence it was a surprise to me to 
find, when able to talk to the people, that when I spoke 
of the great Being who had made all things, nobody was 
ever disposed to dispute my statement. Through all the 
years which have passed since, I believe I have never once 
found a human being who denied the existence of a su- 
preme Deity, the creator of all things — unless it was a 
person educated in England or Germany or the United 
States; and in every such case I believe it will be found, 
on examination, that the man who accepts atheism is one 
who has been educated into this view.” 

Another notion with which the missionary begins his 
work is, that the heathen do not distinguish between right 
and wrong, good and evil. Therefore he proposes to con- 
vince them as to what is sin, and these people, who never 
saw such horrid transgressors as the Europeans and who 
so far have not observed anything better in the missionary, 
will reflect in this wise: ‘To be sure, you are the right 
man to teach us the difference between good and evil!” 
It may be put down as a fact, that even the most degraded 
heathen knows that there is a living God, knows that false- 


SKREFSRUD AT THE FEET OF A NATIVE 197 


hood, disobedience to parents, cruelty, murder, adultery, 
false testimony etc. are sinful. But he finds himself to be 
in a wretched condition and does not know where to turn 
to find God and to be on proper terms with him. And in 
this particular field the missionary, as a true friend of the 
heathen, must listen attentively to the craving of his soul 
that he may learn to apply the remedy judiciously. 

Mr. Skrefsrud did not preach much to the Santhals at 
the start. He first let them preach to himself. He soon 
found that they had traditions — not written down, for 
to him belongs the honor of having introduced the art of 
writing and reading among the Santhals. But they had 
their sages who perpetuated their laws and traditions by 
handing them down orally to their disciples. At that time 
there was only one sage, and he had only one disciple. As 
soon as Mr. Skrefsrud had learned the language he sent 
for the sage, whose name was Kolean, and asked for in- 
struction. Having solemnly promised not only to receive 
instruction, but also to hand down the acquired knowledge 
literally to at least one other person in order to preserve it 
to posterity, Mr. Skrefsrud was admitted to the school of 
the sage. But in spite of his phenomenal memory he found 
it impossible to learn by heart as his school-mate did. He 
could write, however, and the whole of it was for the first 
time committed to paper. 

It goes without saying that I importuned Mr. Skrefs- 
rud for a translation of his notes, which cover several hun- 
dred printed pages, and I surely worried him more than 
once with my solicitations, until I finally obtained it in a 


198 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

form which enables me to give the following comprehen- 
sive summary. 

The arrangement of the subject-matter might be im- 
proved upon, I think. But for various reasons I prefer to 
give it in the same order as I received it. 



The House of an Evangelist* 


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EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER. 

The Traditions of the Santhals. — The Creation of the World. — The 
Origin of Man. — Haram and Ajo.— The Fall. — The Origin of Liquor. — 
The Increase of the Race. — The Deluge. — Wandering About. — The Age 
of Hardships. — Mando Sing. — Decay. 

The human race originated in the East. 

In the beginning there was only water, and God first 
created the various aquatic animals. 

Then God said : ‘T will create men.” And he created 
them of earth. 

But the steed of day (the sun) descended and killed the 
men. At this, God became angry, and he decreed that he 
would no more create men of earth. 

Then God said : ‘T will create birds.” And he created 
Has and Hasil. 

He placed them on his hand, and they were beautiful 
to behold. Then he blew breath into them, they came to 
life and flew away. 

But there was no foothold to be found, therefore the 
birds came back and alighted upon God’s hand. 

Then the steed of day descended to drink, and while 
he was drinking, foam dropped from his mouth and 
floated away on the water. God commanded the birds to 


[ 201 ] 


202 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


alight on the foam, and they did so, and they were carried 
away upon the sea as in a boat. 

But they found nothing to eat. Then they prayed to 
God. He commanded various aquatic animals, one after 
another, to raise the earth above the water. But in vain 
did all of them try their best, until the earth-worm, whose 
diplomatic cunning was greater than his strength, placed 
it upon the back of a tortoise which was floating on the 
water. Thereupon God let the earth be leveled and plant- 
ed with trees and grass. In some places his harrow did 
not pass, hence there are hills and mountains. 

The two birds, while on their voyage, found the earth, 
landed upon it and made it their dwelling-place. 

In a short time Hasil began to lay eggs, and while she 
was brooding. Has brought food to her. But to their 
consternation two human beings were hatched out — a 
boy and a girl. 

Has and Hasil were at their wits’ end. Then they 
prayed to God to help them to nurse the babies. And he 
gave them cotton, which he taught them to fill with 
soft food and put into the mouths of the babies. 

When the children grew up the birds asked God what 
to do with them, and he said they should go away and hunt 
up a place for them. They did so, and toward the setting 
sun they found Hihiri Pipiri. 

The birds returned and told this to God, and he said 
they should take the two human beings to the new place. 
Then they took them upon their backs and carried them 


THE ORIGIN OF LIQUOR 


203 


there. What afterwards became of the two birds the 
fathers have not told. 

In Hihiri Pipiri the two human beings became large 
and strong. Their names were Haram and A jo. By some 
they are called Pilchu Haram and Pilchu Budhi; that is 
to say, the first old man and the first old woman. They 
were naked and had no clothes. Still they were not 
ashamed, and they lived in perfect harmony and happiness. 

One day Lita came to the two people and said : 

‘Where are you, my grand-children? How are you 
getting along? I am your grand-father and have come to 
visit you. I see you are doing well. But you might be 
still happier. You ought to have strong drink. It has 
such a fine taste.’’ 

Lita gave them directions, and they immediately went 
to work to make strong drink. In five days the drink 
was ready. Then Lita told them to sacrifice to his great- 
ness (himself) and then drink. The next day he would 
return and see them again. 

They did as they were told by Lita and began to drink. 
When they had imbibed some liquor they began to play, 
and when they became drunk they lay down and went to 
sleep. 

Next morning Lita came and called on them. When 
they came to they noticed that they were naked, and, being 
ashamed, they answered: “We are ashamed of showing 
ourselves to you, for we are naked. Last night we became 
drunk, and we do not know how much wrong we have 
done.’^ 


204 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


‘That’s nothing!” said Lita laughing, and went his 
way. 

The two people took fig-leaves and tied them around 
their loins to hide their shame. 

Pilchu Haram and Pilchu Budhi had fourteen children, 
seven sons and seven daughters. 

While they grew up the boys went with their father 
hunting, and the girls with their mother gathering herbs 
and leaves, and in the evening they were all at home. 

One day the boys went out hunting without being ac- 
companied by their father. The girls were also in the 
woods to fetch herbs, while their mother remained at 
home. On their way home they began to sing a beautiful 
song. Just then their brothers came out of the woods 
with a fine deer which they had killed. When they heard 
the charming singing they ran over to the girls and began 
to dance with them. While dancing they became fond 
of each other, each boy took a girl next to him in age, and 
each couple became bride and bride-groom. When they 
came home the old folks understood what had happened; 
and they gave each couple a room to live in, celebrated the 
wedding and drank liquor. 

Every one of these couples also had children. 

When the grand-children grew up the old folks talked 
to each other in this wise : “As there were no others we 
were married as brother and sister, and for the same reason 
we let our children marry each other. But these new 
children we must divide up into tribes to prevent inter- 
marriage between brothers and sisters.” 


THE DELUGE 


20 


So they divided up their children into tribes and said 
to them: '‘You may marry anybody that strikes your 
fancy provided you do not marry within your own tribe/’ 

And the human race multiplied greatly. 

Afterwards they came to Khojkaman, the place where 
God called upon them. 

While staying here they became very wicked. Indeed, 
they behaved like beasts. 

When God saw this he became angry and decided to 
destroy the human race if it did not repent and turn to 
him. But they would not. 

Then God called a man and his wife to himself and told 
them that he would destroy the whole race because it 
would not obey him. But he ordered them to go 
into a cave in Mount Harata, where they would be safe. 
And they did as God told them. 

When they had entered the cave God caused fire-water 
to rain down — some say rain-water — for seven days and 
nights, until both men and beasts had perished. Only the 
two that went into the cave were saved. 

When it ceased raining the two went out of the cave. 
At the mouth of the cave they found a cow in a very 
wretched condition. But there was life in her. They also 
found some other animals which were yet alive. 

Near Harata they built a house for themselves, lived 
there for a long time and multiplied rapidly. 

Afterwards they departed and came to Sasangheda (the 
yellow plain by the river). There they remained for a long 
time. 


2o6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Now the human race was again divided into tribes as 
before. In the course of time, five tribes were added, 
making twelve in all. 

Our forefathers next came to the Jarpi country and 
lived there for a long time. But for some reason they left 
this country too and wandered through the woods. 

While wandering about they came to a lofty mountain. 
They searched back and forth along the side of the moun- 
tain until they were exhausted, but could find no passage. 
Then they said to each other: “The god of the mountain 
has closed the way. Let us sacrifice to him, that he may 
let us pass through.” 

And they sacrificed to Maran Buru (his highness, the 
devil) and promised to worship him if he would let them 
pass. But O, wonder! The next morning they found a 
pass, and on that day the sun rose earlier than usual. 

They now went through the pass, and we do not know 
how long it took them. 

On the other side of the mountain they came to Aire 
and afterwards to Kande, where they remained for a long 
time. But for some reason they left this place too, and 
came to Chae. Even from this place they departed and 
came to Champa, the country of seven rivers. 

In Champa our forefathers lived for ages and became 
a great and powerful people. They built many forts for 
protection against their enemies, and at this place we were 
subject to no other people. 

We had our kings from one tribe. One tribe was 
priests, another soldiers. There was a tribe of princes, one 


THE AGE OF HARDSHIPS 


207 


of noblemen, one of drummers and one of merchants. We 
have forgotten the occupation of the other tribes. 

In days of yore, when Ram (one of the incarnations of 
the Hindus) was our king, the Kharwars (the Santhals 
were originally only a tribe of Kharw^ars) went with him to 
Lonka (Ceylon) and helped him conquer King Rabon. 
After this time there was peace between the Santhals and 
the Hindus for a long period. The Hindus lived in the 
plains, the Santhals in the woods and on the mountains. 

But quarrels arose later on, and until to-day there have 
been many wars between us and the Hindus. Just as soon 
as we clear the forests and make the ground tillable •the 
Hindus are bound to come and take it away from us. But 
we could easily chase them beyond the Ganges if the Eu- 
ropeans did not help them. 

During the rebellion we intended to let the Ganges 
be the boundary-line between us. But the Europeans 
helped them, and our plans came to naught. In olden times 
we owned the land on both sides of the Ganges. 

In Champa we fought the Hindus and lost. They cap- 
tured the fort at Champa. Once we recaptured it, but 
we kept it only for a short time. As far as Champa, our- 
selves, the Munda people (Koles), the Birhor people, the 
Kurumbi people etc. were all called by the common name 
Kharwars. The Bir people ate monkeys, and therefore 
they were expelled. The Munda people seceded from us, 
and the Kurumbis became a sort of Hindus. 

Some Kharwars married Sings (the Hindu warrior 


2o8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


caste). Thus they became Sings. Even to this day some 
kings in the old country (Chota Nagpur) are Sings. 

It is related that once upon a time a Sing had a child 
by a daughter of one of our kings, and this child became 
the famous Mando Sing, a great giant. 

Mando Sing was made chief of the king’s councillors. 
He wanted a wife from our people. But he being only one- 
half Kharwar, his request could not be granted. This 
made him furious, and he chased us out of the country 
(the Vindhya mountains, south of the Ganges). Others 
claim that the Mohammedans drove us out of our country. 
It is stated that during the fierce struggle the sun was dar- 
kened by the arrows that flew between us and our enemies. 
We hate the Mohammedans above all other races. 

When we came to Keredadi (the source of the Damuda 
river) our forefathers had a consultation Which lasted 
twelve years or twelve days, and they agreed on rules 
stating what is to be done when a child is born, when it 
is named, at marriages, funerals etc. On this occasion 
the laws and customs of our forefathers were subverted, 
and we do not know why. 

Many Hindu customs have been in vogue among us 
since that time. Our early forefathers did not burn their 
dead, they buried them. Nor did they carry the remains 
to the river as now. Of old we did not put red paint on 
the forehead of the bride, this custom having been bor- 
rowed from the Hindus. 

We moved from plac« to place until we finally came 


DECAY 


209 


to Santhal Parganas, where we are now. Our last home 
was Sikhor (on the south side of the Damuda river). 

Formerly we were independent for some length of time 
in Saot (the districts of Manbhun and Midnapur), hence 
we have been called Saothals (Santhals). 

Through the past ages we have wandered from place to 
place like the silk-worm, and who knows but that we may 
have to flee again some fine day and go to parts unknown ! 

Why does God mete out such severe punishment to us? 




NINETEENTH CHAPTER. 

Heathen Baptism. — Illegitimate Children. — Confirmation. — Brand- 
ing. 

The child is held to belong to the tribe of its father, 
not to that of its mother. 

When a child is born the whole village is defiled, and 
a purification must be made before anything may be sacri- 
ficed to the gods. No neighbor can dine with the family 
of the new-born child until the purification has taken place. 

If it is a boy his head is shaved after the fifth day. 
If it is a girl her head is shaved when she is three days old. 

When the shaving is to be done the whole population 
of the village, rich and poor alike, have to be in attend- 
ance. 

A barber is sent for. 

He first shaves the two priests, then the head-man and 
the public officials and the other men in the village, and 
finally the father of the child. 

Then the barber orders the little one to be brought to 
him. The midwife carries the baby out into the door-way, 
where its head is shaved. 

The midwife collects the hair and puts it into a dish, 
[ 210 ] 


HEATHEN BAPTISM 


2II 


and ties two threads around the arrow used for cutting 
the umbilical cord. 

The father of the child takes oil in a dish and walks 
with the other men to the water to bathe. 

As soon as they return, the midwife takes oil and saf- 
fron and the arrow around which she tied two threads 
and walks to the water, followed by the other women. 

Having arrived at the water, the midwife takes the 
saffron which she carried along and, stepping down into 
the water, marks five red spots. She next places one 
of the two threads and the child’s hair upon the water, 
and they float away. She washes the other thread and 
the arrow. Finally all the women take a bath. 

Upon returning to the house the midwife takes the 
remaining thread, soaks it in saffron and ties it around 
the waist of the child, which is lying in its mother’s lap. 

Thereupon she prepares a mixture of cow’s dung and 
water which she pours upon the head of the mother, smear- 
ing a small quantity of it upon her own head with her hand 
and sipping a little with her mouth and swallowing it. 

The child is carried in and placed in its bed, upon which 
the midwife next sprinkles a thin mixture of meal and 
water. She also sprinkles the breasts of all those present, 
beginning with the head-man and passing down, accord- 
ing to the standing of each man, and closing with the 
women. 

Now it is time for the parents to agree on a name for 
the child. If it is a boy he is named after his father’s 


212 


LIGHT IN THF: darkness 


father, if a girl, after her father’s mother. In some 
cases the children may be named after their mother’s 
parents, and if there are many of them, after others who 
are very closely related to them. 

When the name has been agreed upon the midwife 
goes out and tells those gathered what they have to call 
the new-born child. 

Food is distributed among the people according to 
rank, and they take a meal. 

The purification ceremonies are completed, and the 
child is admitted to its relatives and to the friends of its 
parents. 

When an unmarried woman gives birth to a child 
her parents report it to the head-man and the superin- 
tendent of morals, and they in turn call a meeting of all 
the men in the village to find out who is the father of the 
child. 

The men turn their attention to the man mentioned by 
the girl, and a denial does not count. But if he can prove 
that the girl has had something to do with other men 
the child is decreed fatherless. But if he can procure 
no proof to that effect he must marry the girl. 

If the girl has had intercourse with several, every one 
of them is fined. But the superintendent of morals, who 
has not watched more carefully, must take charge of the 
child, and it is declared to be one of his relatives. The 
fines paid in such cases are divided between the mother 
and the superintendent of morals. 


ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN 


213 


If the girl is unable to name the father of the child 
it is declared fatherless, unless, indeed, her parents can 
buy a husband for her. If this is done the child becomes 
a relative of the purchased husband. 

If no one is willing to marry the girl for good pay 
the superintendent of morals or some one else often volun- 
teers to lend his name to the child for a certain amount 
of money. 

When two members of the same tribe have a child 
together, both the parents and the child are expelled froru 
the tribe and are no longer looked upon as Santhals. Such 
persons leave and are lost. 

No certain age is fixed for the confirmation of a child; 
but young people cannot marry unless they have been con- 
firmed. 

If a child dies without having been confirmed its body 
must not be cremated, nor are its bones sent to the Damn 
river. 

If there are many children in a family they are, if pos- 
sible, all confirmed at the same time. 

Liquor must be prepared for use at confirmation. 

When the liquor is ready the head of the family in- 
vites the head-man and a few others to sample the drink 
and to tell them that he desires to have his children con- 
firmed. Thereupon the head-man calls the neighbors to-^ 
gether. 

The girls of the village pour oil upon all the men 
and women present, beginning with the head-man, after 
which the liquor is passed around.; 


214 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


While the liquor is served the old men relate their 
legends and sing their songs and refrains. 

They begin with the creation of the world and speak 
and sing with enthusiasm about the age of their greatness. 
They speak with sadness about the time when they were 
scattered abroad, losing their splendor, about their wan- 
dering through the forests, about their struggles and suf- 
ferings, about Hikim Pargana, who brought them to 
Sikhor etc. 

At this juncture the host rises and begs his neighbors 
to pardon him for having put them to so much trouble. 
But they answer that he must not mention the trouble at 
all, for the occasion has afforded them nothing but pleas- 
ure. 

The head of the family gives the name of the young 
person who is to be confirmed, and entreats the people 
to stand by him, to receive the young person in their 
midst and to regard him as their equal. They all promise 
to do this, and the head of the family exclaims: ‘‘We 
were as black as ravens, but you have made us as white 
as doves!’’ 

They next dine together. The ceremonies conclude 
with dancing, and the young person is a member of so- 
ciety. 

It has been said of old that a person whose arm is 
not branded will be attacked by worms in the next 
world, and for this reason all boys submit to the pain 
caused by being branded. 

The operation is simple: a rag is rolled up and kin- 


BRANDING 


215 


died, and the burning part of it is applied to the spot which 
is to be branded. As soon as the burn is deep enough 
it is covered with ashes. The wound leaves a mark simi- 
lar to a vaccination-scar. 

The women are not branded, but their breasts are 
tattooed. 



TWENTIETH CHAPTER. 


Marriage. — Preparations. — Good Omens. — The Girl is Called upon, 
— Her Parents See the Young Man. — His House is Visited. — Betrothal. 
■ — Partial Payment of the Price of the Bride. — Nuptials. — Comprehensive 
Preparations. — “Water Wedding”.— Molasses Given to the Bridegroom. 
— The Bridegroom Conducted to the Bride’s Home. — The Washing of 
the Feet at Every Door etc. — Wedding. — Distribution of Gifts. — “The 
Vegetables” are Gathered. — The Bride is Given away. — In the Bride- 
groom’s Village. — The Young Woman Put to Work. — Rules of Conduct 
for Her. — Visits. 

When some one wants a bride for his son he must apply 
to a marriage negotiator. 

The negotiator first ascertains what qualifications the 
bride must have, and then he will generally say: ‘T know 
of such a woman. But I must see her folks before I can 
give an answer.’’ 

The negotiator next consults the parents of the girl, 
and, having told everything about the young man, he 
asks: ''May I invite my friends to see her?” 

If they are in favor of the proposed union they answer 
in the affirmative. 

The negotiator appoints the day when he will return, 
and requests them to be prepared at such a time. 

Returning to the home of the young man, he reports 

[216] 


GOOD OMENS 


217 


to his parents, and they immediately begin to make pre- 
parations for calling on the girl. 

On the appointed day the negotiator returns to con- 
duct the young man’s parents and a few of their friends 
to the village in which the girl resides. 

If they see a snake or a jackal on the way, or if they 
meet a person carrying fuel on his head it is an evil omen, 
and they return home. But if they come across a tub of 
water, a cow, a pack-ox or tiger-tracks it means good 
luck, and they proceed. 

Upon arriving at the village they go to the super- 
intendent of morals and explain their errand to him. 

The superintendent of morals summons the girl and two 
others. He says to the young man’s parents : ^Tt is the 
one standing in the middle. Look at her!” And when 
the girls have withdrawn he asks the visitors what they 
think of the girl. 

If they do not like her they will say that the young 
man is too old, or they will invent some other excuse. 
On the contrary, if they like the girl they say so, and 
the superintendent of morals reports the matter to her 
parents. 

Subsequently the girl’s parents are invited by the mar- 
riage negotiator to come and see the young man. 

Accompanied by a few of their friends, they make a 
call at the appointed time. They too look for omens as 
the young man’s parents did. 

They first call on the superintendent of morals of the 
village in which the young man lives. He summons the 


2t8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


young man and two others and says: ‘'Look at the one 
standing in the middle 

If they do not like him they can easily find some ex- 
cuse, and the plan comes to naught. But if he strikes their 
fancy they say so to the negotiator, and the superintend- 
ent of morals reports the result to the young man’s parents. 

The next thing in order is a new visit by the girl’s 
parents to the home of the young man. This time they 
are accompanied by the relatives of the girl, the head-man 
of the village and his assistant. They go directly to the 
house of the young man, where they are received with 
marked cordiality. 

The feet of the strangers are washed. Liquor and 
bread are served to them, and the conversation is carried 
on in figurative language. 

Upon the order of the head of the family a billy-goat 
is fetched. This animal is sprinkled with water and butch- 
ered, and a great meal is prepared for all who are in at- 
tendance. The future parents-in-law treat each other with 
tokens of exquisite friendliness. 

When the visitors get ready to leave they all arrange 
themselves in a row and say good-by. 

And still the young people are not engaged. The mar- 
riage negotiator keeps on making trips between the two 
villages. 

A day is appointed for giving the token of engagement 
to the girl. When the time arrives the young man’s par- 
ents and a great number of the friends of the young man’s 
family march in procession to the village in which the 


BETROTHAL 


219 


girl resides, and the superintendent of morals meets them 
at the entrance. He conducts them directly to the girl's 
parents, who receive them outside their house and enter- 
tain them as best they can. 

On an occasion like this, songs of different kinds are 
sung. 

The young man's father takes the future bride in his 
lap, puts a ribbon around her neck and kisses her on the 
mouth. She rises, falls upon her face and greets, where- 
upon she gives him liquor. 

This is the signal for general rejoicing. The company 
sing and drink, eat and drink, and speak incessantly — in 
metaphors. 

The two old men embrace each other, say ^^saheb” 
(sir) and speak to each other in the plural. The Santhals 
do not know of any friendship which is more intimate 
than that between two men whose children are joined in 
matrimony. 

Similarly the girl's father and friends go to the young 
man's home and put a ring on his arm, on which occasion 
there is a great feast. 

Now the young people are betrothed. 

The marriage negotiator continues his journeys back 
and forth. 

The young man's father says to him: ^‘Consult the 
friends." 

He returns and says : “They are in favor of the union." 

Then the father of the bridegroom calls the head-man, 


220 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the officials and a few others together and gives them 
liquor. 

The head-man asks, “What kind of liquor is this?” 

“It is liquor to be taken on the occasion of concluding 
a marriage contract. I intend to make a partial payment 
for the bride.” Then he ties five knots on a thread, which 
the marriage negotiator gives to the girl’s parents. 

If they are not ready they put more knots on the 
thread, indicating by the number of knots in how many 
days the partial payment is to be made. 

On the appointed day the bridegroom’s father noti- 
fies the head-man, and the latter calls the people of the 
X village together, men and women. Oil is rubbed on to 
the priest, the head-man, the officials and the whole 
number, in the order of the rank held by each one. 

Now the bridegroom is led forth. An attendance con- 
sisting of young men and girls are selected for him. The 
mother of the bridegroom applies oil to him, after which 
he has to perform a series of rites. 

The whole company starts for the village in which the 
girl is living, amid great rejoicing, and the music for the 
occasion is furnished by means of drums and flutes. 

A halt is made at the entrance, and the negotiator 
notifies the bride’s parents that the company is waiting 
outside the village. 

They apply to the superintendent of morals for an' 
empty house. Having received previous notice, he has a 
house ready for the purpose. He proceeds to meet the 
company, carrying a dish of water on the palm of his 


PARTIAL PAYMENT FOR THE BRIDE 221 


hand, and he invites them to accompany him to the 
empty house, where the necessary food is brought them. 

Afterwards the company is invited to the home of the 
bride, where they are entertained, first tobacco and then 
liquor being served to them. 

The superintendent of morals asks the bride’s father 
how much he charges for his daughter. 

If they agree on three rupees no money is returned 
lo the father of the bridegroom. But if he pays five ru- 
pees he receives a cow, a brass dish and cloth for a suit 
for the bridegroom, and a billy-goat and a bucket of liquor 
for his people. If he pays seven rupees the bride’s father 
will give him a cow which is about to calve, a brass dish, 
a brass bowl and a suit of clothes for the bridegroom, 
and his people receive more food and drink than they 
would have done if only five rupees had been paid. 

They now attach ornaments to the bride, and she gives 
them liquor. 

Of the amount agreed upon as pay for the bride, two 
rupees are advanced. The money is handed to the super- 
intendent of morals, and he gives it to the bride’s father, 
who now serves a bounteous meal. 

The guests spend the night in the house assigned to 
them. After having breakfasted the next morning, they 
return to their own village. 

When a shorter or longer time has elapsed, sometimes 
as much as two years after the first payment, the real wed- 
ding takes place. • 

By means of the marriage negotiator the parties agree 


222 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


on a certain day, and three days before this time the bride- 
groom’s father applies to the head-man for assistance at 
the wedding. 

The young people are instructed to build an arbor, or 
bridal house. 

The priest is sent for, and the father of the bridegroom, 
at the behest of the head-man, gives the priest three 
hens, two of them being white and one speckled, a little 
rice, liquor and whatever else is necessary to propitiate the 
gods. The priest takes everything to the sacred grove and 
sacrifices the birds in the name of the bridal house that 
no misfortune may befall either of the parties, that they 
may not have stomach-ache when they eat too much or 
get into fights when they drink liquor. The speckled hen 
is sacrificed to the goddes of the sacred grove, one of the 
white hens to the five gods and the other to Maran Burn 
that is, the devil. 

When the priest has finished the sacrifices he and his 
assistants prepare a meal of the birds and the rice, where- 
upon they dine and drink liquor. 

When everything is prepared at the bridal house they 
are all called together to apply oil to each other. Having 
performed this ceremony, the old people go home and 
the young people begin to dance, and the dancing is kept 
up night and day until the close of the wedding festiv- 
ities. 

Then comes the day when the bridegroom is to be 
taken to the bride’s home. The bridegroom’s father rises 
at cock-crow and invites the head-man and the magistrate. 


WATER WEDDING’^ 


223 


He serves out liquor to them, and they converse in figura- 
tive language. Afterwards all the neighbors are called 
together and liberally entertained. Some of the attend- 
ants of the bridegroom are sent out in advance, carrying 
food and liquor to the village in which the bride resides. 
Here an arbor has been put up. Thje groomsmen are 
directed to separate quarters for the bridegroom and his 
attendants, and the superintendent of morals assists them 
in procuring kettles, fuel etc. 

When the groomsmen have left the village in which 
the bridegroom lives all the others, men and women, go 
to the ^Vater wedding.’’ 

The bridegroom’s mother takes a basket of rice, some 
dubri-grass, an egg, some oil, some red paint and thread. A 
sister of the bridegroom’s father takes a sword, and the 
sister of his mother takes a bow and arrow. The toilet of 
the bride is put into jars, which two of the groomsmaids 
carry on their heads. The bridegroom’s cousin takes a 
spade, and the superintendent of morals takes liquor. 

When they arrive at the water with those articles they 
perform a series of rites, the aim of which is to please the 
demons, and the devil in particular. They return to the 
arbor, where also different ceremonies are performed and 
incantations pronounced. 

The bridegroom is placed in the lap of his mother, who 
pours molasses into his mouth. He next takes a rupee 
into his mouth, sucks his mother’s breasts and drops the 
coin into her lap. This is called ‘"nursing-money” and be- 
longs to his mother. 


224 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The company now starts for the bride’s home, march- 
ing to the noise of drum and flute. 

They are met at the entrance to the village by the 
superintendent of morals, the bride’s mother, the brides- 
maids and bridesmen. 

The marriage negotiator takes charge of the young 
man and introduces him to the bride’s mother, saying, 
‘There you have the bridegroom!” The bride’s grand- 
mothers and aunts are also present to pay their respects 
to the young man. 

But the bridesmaids and other women living in the 
village jokingly scold the bridegroom and sing abusive 
songs about him. 

The bride’s mother washes the feet and mouth of the 
bridegroom, gives him a little molasses, washes his mouth 
again and gives him a little water to drink. 

One of the bridesmaids conducts him to the nearest 
house, where the house-wife washes his feet and mouth 
and gives him molasses and water. He is taken to the 
next house, and the next, from door to door through the 
whole village, and the same ceremonies are repeated at 
every place. The bridesmaids and the bridesmen accom- 
pany him. 

The bridegroom and his attendants are now conducted 
to the quarters which were assigned to the bridegroom’s 
attendants who brought the food, and here both he and his 
people eat their own food and drink their own liquor. 

Meanwhile the women of the village, under the au- 
spices of the superintendent of morals, congregate out- 


WEDDING 


225 


side the house. The bridegroom is carried out to them 
and placed upon a stool, and they proceed to sprinkle wa- 
ter on him. 

They have brought dry clothes for him, and he changes 
clothes while they are looking at him. The women now 
receive some liquor, which they take to the house of the 
superintendent of morals. 

The head-man summons the entire population of the 
village to attend the wedding, and the attendants of the 
bridegroom proceed to the bridal house. 

The bridegroom is carried out, and he and his brother- 
in-law perform the rite of squirting water upon each other. 

The bride is next carried out and placed face to face 
with the bridegroom, and they exchange greetings by 
squirting water upon each other. 

The attendant next to the bridegroom hands him five 
leaves from a sal-tree. On the top leaf the bridegroom 
places som red paint, draws the bride’s veil to the side and 
drops a little paint at his feet, and by a swift mo^^ement he 
grasps the back part of the bride’s head and rubs some 
paint on her forehead. 

At this point of time the whole assemblage raise a 
shout of joy. 

The bride’s oldest sister steps up and ties the clothes 
of the bride and the bridegroom together. Her mother 
and other relatives carry out several articles in a basket, 
which they move back and forth above the heads of the 
bridal couple. A number of other ceremonies are per- 
formed by means of a rice-pounder, and the bride’s oldest 


226 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


sister conducts the bridal couple into the house. But 
her youngest sister keeps the door shut until the bride- 
groom gives her a present. 

Oil and saffron are applied to the bridal couple, where- 
upon they both eat from the same bowl. They now walk 
out of the house, and the father of the bridegroom and 
some others are conducted into the house and entertained. 

All the attendants of the bridegroom also enter the 
arbor, where water and tobacco are served to them. The 
old people converse in parables, the young people sing, 
and the liquor bowls are passed around. 

The clothes carried along for the bride’s mother and 
grand-mothers are distributed, and the marriage negoti- 
ator delivers a goat, a jar of liquor and different articles of 
food to the parents of the bride. 

The relatives of the bride’s mother milk the goat — act 
as if they did so — and pretend to prepare food from the 
milk. The bridegroom’s relatives must also make believe 
that they are eating, and the women finally wash their 
hands. 

The head-man calls the people together outside the 
arbor, saying to them, “We will gather vegetables.” By 
this he means that they are going to butcher a big billy- 
goat. 

The people of the village having poured water on the 
billy-goat, the superintendent of morals shouts to the 
bridegroom’s attendants, “Come here, gentlemen, and 
gather the vegetables! They are ripe.” That means. 
Kill the billy-goat! 


A Wedding Party 


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THE VEGETABLES’’ ARE GATHERED 229 


While the crowd is yelling and rejoicing one of the 
attendants of the bridegroom takes an ax *and decapitates 
the billy-goat with one blow. 

The bride’s father sacrifices two glasses of liquor to the 
gods (demons). The one that held the billy-goat and the 
one that killed him are permitted to drink first, then fol- 
lows the head-man, the officials and the rest, in the order 
of the rank of each one. 

All but five of the bridegroom’s attendants now with- 
draw for a while. 

The feet of these five are washed by the young men 
of the village, after which the superintendent of morals 
conducts them into the house and serves food and liquor to 
them. They also receive a goat, a jar of liquor and other 
articles, which they take with them to their quarters. 

Of the butchered billy-goat, the attendants of the 
bridegroom receive the head, and a part of it goes to the 
superintendent of morals, who, in company with some of 
the attendants, proceeds to the head-man of the village and 
hands him a rupee from the bridegroom’s father, accord- 
ing to an ancient custom. 

The whole day is devoted to the performance of dif- 
ferent ceremonies, the presentation of gifts to the bridal 
couple, bathing etc. ; and in the evening they all take a 
great meal in the arbor. At the close of the meal all the 
attendants of the bridegroom withdraw to their quarters, 
where those who are tired go to bed, while the young peo- 
ple dance the whole night. 

Next morning they all meet at the court-house, or the 


230 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


seat of the head-man of the village. The attendants of 
the bridegrooni indulge in dancing, and the superinten- 
dent of morals sets aside some liquor for the deceased head- 
man, for the prosperity of the bridal couple, for safety from 
evil on their way and for the birth of progeny before one 
year shall have elapsed. 

All of them now proceed to the cross-roads at one 
end of the village. Here the bride’s mother sits down on 
a mat. She first takes the bride-groom and then the 
bride into her lap, washes their lips, gives them molasses 
three times and again washes their lips. 

After her come several other women who go through 
the same performances, giving the bridal couple molasses 
and washing the lower part of their faces. 

The cooks, the superintendent of morals and some 
others now receive their customary pay. 

The older members of the bridegroom’s attendants sit 
down, and the head-man of the bride’s party makes a 
speech : “Whereas this union is not the result of coercion 
but of free choice, and whereas the sun, the gods and the 
dead ancestors have been present at the wedding, and 
whereas the bridegroom now has a home at the bride’s 
house and she has one at his house, so that the bride- 
groom and his folks are no longer compelled to drink wa- 
ter from the brook, but may come as to their own house 
for shade and shelter, and whereas the bridegroom and 
his folks have selected the bride, therefore they must be 
responsible for her conduct. Whether she is active or 
lazy, well-formed or unshapely, whether she is fortunate or 


THE BRIDE GIVEN AWAY 


231 


unfortunate, whether she is a hag, whether she is wicked 
or virtuous — all this no longer concerns her folks; the 
bridegroom and his folks shall be responsible for this, for 
her folks have sold her with bones and ashes, excepting 
the head-blade and the ear-blade. By this excep- 
tion they reserve to themselves the right to hold 
his folks responsible in case they call her a hag or 
kill her, without cause.) If she does not prepare the food 
properly you must not abuse her but rather teach her to 
do everything in the right way, and if she proves to be in- 
corrigible you must send word to her folks. If we have 
no person to send back we will send a cane, and if we have 
no cane we will send a dog.” 

The head-man from the village of the bridegroom an- 
swers: “This is correct, sir. We have not formed this 
union. The gods have brought it about, and we take the 
bride with us upon the terms set forth by you. Henceforth 
we shall be responsible for the bride and everything that 
she does. And you are entitled to make us responsible if we 
kill her or call her a hag, without cause. But such small 
matters as poor preparation of the food we shall overlook, 
and if she utterly refuses to be corrected we shall certainly 
send word to you that you may cooperate with us in teach- 
ing her. Nor must you keep on drinking water from the 
brook, but you must come and find shade and shelter 
with us.” 

The superintendent of morals takes the hand of the 
bride and leads her to the head-man who spoke last, and 
says: “Sir, I hereby deliver her to you.” 


232 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Now the party breaks up. The bridegroom’s folks 
take the bride with them, and her attendants follow them. 

Those who remain in the village proceed to the arbor 
and consume what is left of food and drink. 

The bridal party stops at the entrance to the village of 
the bridegroom, while the marriage negotiator enters the 
village to report the coming event. The father of the 
bridegroom instructs the head-man and the magistrate to 
receive the bridal party. Meanwhile the superintendent of 
morals gathers together the young people of both sexes. 

The mother of the bridegroom opens the ceremonies 
by washing the feet of those who belong to the bridal 
party, and she puts molasses into their mouths. 

The young people jokingly sing abusive songs about 
the bride, about what they have heard of her and what they 
now see of her. 

At the order of the superintendent of morals, the girls 
of the village take the bridal couple and carry them around, 
whereupon all the women of the village, one after the 
other, wash the feet of the bride and the bridegroom and 
put molasses into their mouths. 

When they have arrived at the home of the bridegroom 
his mother fetches a bowl of rice, some ornaments and 
other articles, which are swung three times above the 
heads of the bridal couple, whereupon some of it is thrown 
so as to fall down behind them. She applies saffron to 
them, and they do the same to her. She next pours a 
little oil upon the hair of the bride and combs it straight. 
She finally puts bracelets around the wrist of her left hand, 


THE YOUNG WOMAN PUT TO WORK 233 


and the grand-mothers and aunts of the bridegroom fol- 
low her example. 

The bridal couple are conducted to the door of the 
house. But the younger daughter of the bridegroom 
keeps it shut and will not let them enter. Then the peo- 
ple sing: 'The door is closed like the Sing Pass of old.’’ 
Finally the bride gives the girl a duck, and the door is 
opened. 

The next day numerous ceremonies are performed. 
They clean their teeth, put ashes on their heads and wash 
themselves. 

The bride washes the feet of her husband, rubs oil into 
his body and bows to the ground before him. When she 
is through with him she washes the feet of all his relatives, 
then those of the officials and finally those of their wives. 

While washing his younger relatives she pinches their 
feet and holds them tight until they give her ornaments, 
then she squirts water upon them, and they return the 
compliment. 

The leading men of the village having dined from the 
hand of the bride, the head-man makes an address to her, 
points out the house in which she is to live, her kettles etc., 
and tells her that henceforth all these things are hers, 
that these are her parents-in-law, and that man her hus- 
band. "When you need something you say so to these, 
your own people.” 

To the parents-in-law the head-man says: "This bride 
has not come of her own accord. We have fetched her. 
[You must direct and admonish her in a gentle manner,” 


234 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


To the bridegroom he says: “When you, sir, move 
about in field and forest, fetching fruit or killing game, 
do not eat it alone, but take it home to your wife. Or if 
you shoot birds, do likewise. And now, my boy, so long 
as you were unmarried you stopped on the way when 
night overtook you, and slept till the next day ; but here- 
after you must not act that way. To the place where your 
common couch is, you must return, and there you two go 
to bed together.” 

“And you, my girl,” he turns to the bride, “when this 
man goes somewhere and returns to you, give him water 
and a toothbrush at once. When you go out to fetch wa- 
ter or into the woods to gather leaves, do not crack jokes 
with other men. This is your man. Do not look to 
others.” 

To this the bride answers: “You, fathers, have planted 
me here after having found all omens good. This is my 
mother, this is my father, and this (to the bridegroom) is 
the mate of my righteousness. I will obey all your instruc- 
tions, and I will bring my mother and father water when 
they come home tired, and if I fail to do all this, our 
neighbors are justified in making fun of me.” 

From the assemblage comes this answer: “The bride 
is splendid! She gave us such fine food and drink. We 
trust her !” 

The marriage negotiator and the attendants now receive 
what is coming to them according to ancient customs, and 
preparations are made for breaking up. Everybody dons 
whatever is at hand of different articles; dancing, singing 


VISITS 


^35 


of nuptial songs, and merry-making of different kinds 
are indulged in. 

The superintendent of morals gives the strangers food 
to be consumed on the way. 

The bride’s attendants, upon bidding adieu, give her 
the following friendly admonition and encouragement: 
‘‘Dear girl, settle down at this place. Work and eat. 
You must not be homesick. This is your permanent 
home. We have given you away, your bones and your 
ashes. Therefore you can no longer stay with us. Don’t 
worry. We return in ten days.” 

They take a touching leave. The bridegroom distrib- 
utes tobacco, the bride gives her brother water from a 
metal bowl, and they part. 

The people of the village return to the arbor, tear it 
down, eat and drink and dance. 

At five o’clock in the afternoon the bride goes out with 
the other girls to fetch water for her new home. She 
takes oil and red paint with her, and at the water she marks 
five red spots, which indicates that she buys the right to 
step down to the water. 

Five days later the attendants of the bride return. 
They are banqueted, and the next day they return home. 
The young people accompany them, the bride carrying 
a big pitcher of liquor on her head. 

A banquet is given to them at the home of her 
parents, and after a two days’ stay there they return home. 

They now move into the house assigned to them by 
his father, and this becomes their permanent residence. 


TWENTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 


The Marriage of Poor People. — Widows and Divorced Persons. — 
They are United. — Marriage for Love. — Arbitrary Marriage. — Revenge. 
— “Saving the Young Man’s Head.” — Concubines. — Elopement.— Banish- 
ment. 

When poor people marry, the bridegroom does not 
go to the bride’s home, but the marriage negotiator, in 
company with five others, goes to fetch the bride, and 
three men from her village accompany her. 

The proceedings at the house of the bridegroom are 
similar to those in vogue at other weddings, but they are 
less ostentatious. Five days later the young couple pay 
a visit to her parents. 

Poor young men may earn a bride as servants. A 
family having daughters but no sons, or only small sons, 
may give away a grown daughter to a young man who 
volunteers to work five years as pay for her. In such 
cases the young man and his father have no expenses. In 
other respects there is nothing unusual about the wedding. 
Her father gives him a calf, and if she does not live with 
him as befits a good wife during his service he may take 
his calf and depart. 

During the five years which he serves his father-in-law, 
[230] 


WIDOWS AND DIVORCED PERSONS 237 


his wife may glean what is left in the field after the rice 
is harvested, and, according to certain regulations, ears 
shall be left standing here and there. The money made in 
this way is put out at interest. 

At the expiration of the five years the young couple 
have a right to remain and work for wages. . Otherwise 
they remove to the bridegroom’s village. 

If the old folks have no son and are pleased with their 
son-in-law, they may give him their land and home and 
one half of the stock on condition that he pledge himself 
to support and take care of them for life. The other half 
of the stock is distributed among other relatives. 

If there are several such sons-in-law the property is not 
distributed until after the death of the old folks. 

No one likes a widower. For that reason a woman 
thinks twice before she consents to become the wife of a 
widower. It is said, ‘‘A widower is like one who grins. 
A widower is like a worn-out broom. Who would be 
guilty of marrying him?” 

Nor is a divorced man desirable. It is said of him, 
‘‘He is like a tasting-ladle — no one knows how long.” 

Nor are widows in' great demand. It is said, “A 
widow is like a stallion that is running around.” 

But divorced women are rated still lower. “A divorced 
woman,” says a proverb, “is as smooth as the head of a 
starling. She is like a bird that flies around the whole 
year. She sings in all kinds of voices. — Divorced women 
are like decoy birds, they deceive. — A divorced woman is 
like an eel, she does not remain in one place.” 


238 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


When a widower or a divorced man wants to marry 
a young woman he must pay five or seven rupees for her, 
and he receives no gifts from his parents-in-law. Other- 
wise the wedding is celebrated in the usual way. 

In days of old no young man married a widow or 
a divorced woman. The laws still prohibit such practice. 
But in spite of this it happens here and there because of 
the wickedness of our times. 

A widow or a divorced woman commands only one- 
half of the regular price. The superintendent of morals 
receives only eight anas, and the head-man receives noth- 
ing. Nor is the distribution of gifts so general as at 
other weddings. A marriage of this kind is not supposed 
to establish genuine wedlock. It is looked upon as if one 
borrowed oxen to pull his plow. ‘‘Connection,’’ not mar- 
riage, is the word used for this union. 

When a girl has a child she is called “shirtless,” and 
she commands only half price when married. Otherwise 
the ceremonies are the same as usual. 

When a young man and a girl are fond of each other 
she must report it to the superintendent of morals. He 
calls on the young man, and if he is satisfied that the 
young people love each other he takes the girl to the 
young man’s parents and explains the matter to them. 

These in turn tell it to the head-man, who thereupon 
calls the people together for general consultation. If it is 
proven that the young people in question desire to be- 
come husband and wife they are immediately separated. 


ARBITRARY MARRIAGE 


239 

The people receive a rupee and four anas, and preparations 
are made for the wedding. 

If a young man lives secretly with a girl, but afterwards 
refuses to marry her, she goes to him while he is at the 
house of his parents. If he consents to marry her they 
are married in the usual manner. But if he refuses to 
do so, he must pay her three rupees and four anas. In 
the latter case the superintendent of morals conducts the 
girl back to her parents. 

When a man puts red paint on a girl’s forehead it is 
called ‘‘arbitrary marriage.” Sometimes the young wo- 
man may consent to this, sometimes she may object. 

If two young people fall in love with each other and 
desire to becoijie husband and wife against the wishes of 
their parents, especially her parents, he makes the woman 
his lawful wife by rubbing red paint or earth upon her fore- 
head in the presence of witnesses. 

When a young man is fond of a girl but does not 
know whether her parents will let him have her or not, or 
even whether the girl herself is fond of him, he improves 
any opportunity by rubbing, without warning and without 
apology, red paint upon the girl’s forehead 

It has happened that a man has done this from pure 
vindictiveness in order to brand the girl as a divorced 
woman. 

It is supposed that one who marries a widow or a 
divorced woman can not have her for his wife in the next 
M^orld. Such a man, in order to secure a wife in the next 


240 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


world, often “marries” a girl without intending to live with 
her in this world. 

If a girl who is married to a man in an arbitrary man- 
ner does not move into his house to live with him, she 
is held to be divorced. 

When a girl’s father and brothers find out that she has 
been married arbitrarily they become furious. They gath- 
er the young men of the village in a hurry, and, marching 
at the head of the assemblage and carrying bows and ar- 
rows, make preparations for punishing the culprit. 

They first go to the head-man and report the matter 
to him. He says to them: “Act according to our man- 
ners and customs.” 

They next proceed to the compound of the man and 
knock all his water tanks to pieces. Then they enter the 
house and break all the cooking vessels and destroy the 
fire-place, and if they find the arbitrary bridegroom they 
beat him until he is half dead and leave him in the com- 
pound. 

Thereupon they go out hunting for his father’s stock. 
If they find two billy-goats they cut off their heads, and 
if there are swine they shoot two of them. Of the cattle 
they take three yoke of oxen if there are that many, and 
bring these and the slain billy-goats to the head-man. 

The head-man calls the people of the village together 
to a trial to find out how everything was done. The girl 
is sent for, and she must tell whether she consented or 
not. 


'SAVING THE YOUNG MAN’S HEAD^ 


241 


A billy-goat must be fetched from the girl’s house also, 
and this and the two others, are eaten up by the people. 

The head-men for the two parties keep the cattle until 
the young man’s father has paid the fine imposed upon 
him. 

Sixteen rupees shall be paid to the girl’s father, and he 
shall give nothing in return if the girl remains with her 
husband. The head-man of the young man’s village re- 
ceives five rupees, and of these he gives two to the peo- 
ple. 

This payment is made to save the young man’s head, 
for in olden times such fellows as he were killed. 

The young man is generally permitted to keep the 
girl, and the usual wedding ensues. 

In days of old, each man had only one wife. Even 
now it is looked upon as discreditable to have two or three 
wives from sensual motives, and few men have more than 
one wife. 

To have a concubine, however, is permitted under cer- 
tain circumstances — or it is looked upon as less objec- 
tionable. If a married couple have no children, for in- 
stance, they often agree to let the man have a concubine. 
But in such cases the first wife is the manager of the 
household. 

A married man may also be permitted to marry the 
widow left by an elder brother, and this happens quite 
frequently. A man is not permitted to marry the 
widow of a younger brother because he is regarded as her 
father and guardian. 


242 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


It is said: ‘‘He that takes two wives unto himself 
will suffer for it afterwards. — Two wives are like needle- 
grass, they sting terribly. — ^The second wife is like a cer- 
tain kind of wood which crackles in the fire. — You may 
kick the first wife all you please. She can stand it. But 
wife number two wants to do the kicking herself. — The 
second wife is like a painful burn.’’ 

Under no circumstances is a man allowed to bring a 
concubine into his house without the consent of his first 
wife. If she gives her consent he must give her five 
rupees or a calf. Then they place the new wife between 
themselves. He rubs red paint on the head of his first wife 
and puts a little on a flower which he places in the hair of 
the new wife, and now she is a member of his family. 

It happens that a man runs away with another man’s 
wife. But this is done only when they fear the revenge 
of her husband. 

When some one in days of old ran away with a woman 
they were always pursued, and her husband might kill 
both of them without fear of punishment. Now the man 
accepts twice the amount which he paid for his wife and 
permits her seducer to keep her. The seducer also pays 
the head-man five rupees to save his own head. 

If two relatives run away together they are excom- 
municated, and if they persist in living together^ they are 
expelled forever from their tribe and nation. No one 
will hereafter eat or drink together with them, and their 
descendants are not permitted to marry Santhals. Even 
their parents are expelled. But they may be re-admitted 


BANISHMENT 


243 


upon paying a handsome amount of money. But if the 
elopers are permitted to enter the house of their parents 
the whole family is expelled. Even the whole village is 
punished, none of its inhabitants being permitted to marry 
other Santhals. 

The elopers may be readmitted if they part. But this 
is a very expensive affair. 

One who marries a non-Santhal is banished forever, 
and his parents are compelled to pay heavy fines and are 
subjected to public humiliation. 



TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 

Divorce.— Excommunication. — Readmission. 

In ancient times there were only two valid grounds for 
divorce, namely, infidelity and witchcraft on the part of the 
wife. 

But now it is different. As soon as a married couple 
begin to quarrel they part company. Since it became 
customary to take a concubine the first wife has often 
demanded a divorce on that ground. 

When a woman has been proven to be a witch her 
husband may leave her without formal divorce and marry 
another woman. But five witch-finders must testify that 
she is a witch. When she is convicted, her husband, in 
company with the people of his village, conducts her back 
to her parents and brothers. Her children are taken 
away from her, even her suckling baby. But she receives 
a little pay for having been its nurse. Her husband must 
dine the people of the village on this occasion. 

If married people part because they cannot agree the 
guilty party shall be punished. For instance, if a man 
chases his wife away without cause he cannot recover 
what he paid for her and, besides, must pay her a divorce 


[244] 


DIVORCE 


245 


fine consisting of a cow, 1,200 pounds of rice, a brass 
bowl, a piece of cloth, and if she has a suckling baby, 1,280 
pounds of rice and a piece of cloth as remuneration for 
nursing his baby. He must also refund whatever she 
pays out on account of the baby, as in case of sickness etc. 

If the woman is responsible for the trouble her hus- 
band recovers what he paid for her at the wedding, and she 
receives nothing. The two parties shall pay two and a 
half rupees for a meal to those who settle the case. 

If the wife demands divorce because her husband has 
taken a concubine against her wishes he does not re- 
cover the amount paid for his wife, and he shall pay her 
1,200 pounds of rice, a brass bowl and a piece of cloth. 

When a divorce takes place the head-men and the 
people on either side have a joint gathering. They place 
a brass pitcher filled with water on the ground and order 
the man and his wife to stand face to face on either side 
of the pitcher. 

The head-man on the husband’s side says: ''We in- 
voked the sun-god, the five gods and our ancestors, and 
we received favorable omens from them. Then we united 
you, not for a day, but for eternity, that you might stand 
firm as the mountains. — We are without guilt in this mat- 
ter. It is you yourself who cannot agree. What can 
we do? Consider this matter carefully in your own hearts, 
that you may not say afterwards that we have separated 
you. We ask you (giving the name),Is it actually your in- 
tention to leave your wife who is standing before you? 
If this is the case you must invoke the sun-god, the five 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


^'46 

gods ^nd your ancestors, and you must further tear the 
sal-leave'^ in two, but do not tear them any more.” 

He is now made to stand on his left foot, turning to- 
ward the sun, and folding his hands over his forehead. 
Three leaves are handed to him, and these he tears along 
the midrib, invoking the sun-god to witness that he now 
leaves his wife, whereupon he kicks the pitcher of water 
over and renounces his wife. He finally bows to the 
head-man and all others present. 

If he does not tear the leaves clean along the midrib 
it is said : ‘‘The two will come together again.” And if 
there is water left in the pitcher it is said : “He still 
has some love left for her, and they will surely come to- 
gether again.” 

From the times of the forefathers only two kinds of 
misdemeanors have been punished with expulsion from the / 
nation, namely, sexual intercourse with a non-Santhal and 
with a relative. 

When a crime of this nature is detected the head-man 
of the village calls the head-men of other villages together 
to a trial. If the crime is proved it is announced to all the 
people of the village that the guilty parties are excom- 
municated, and that in the future no one must eat or 
drink with them or intermarry with their cildren. 

This decision, however, is only preliminary. The final 
settlement is made at the yearly national hunt. Then the 
case is tried a second time by the parganas, their represent- 
atives, the head-men and the whole people of the country. 
If the crime cannot be proved, severe punishment is meted 


EXCOMMUNICATION 


247 


out to those who brought the matter up. But if they 
are found guilty the verdict is: ‘'Let us plant the pole of 
excommunication at their house.’^ 

A ditty is composed about the convicted parties, and 
the whole assemblage proceed to their village, where a 
pole is raised in front of their house as a token that its 
inmates have been expelled. Worn-out brooms are tied 
around the pole, and the people walk through the village, 
singing the ditty made for the occasion. 

The whole village is defiled until a fine is paid. Suf- 
fering so much on account of him or her, the people of the 
village embrace the opportunity to worry the sinners fear- 
fully. No one must let them have kindling-coal, and they 
are not allowed to take water from the well. 

If the head-man of the village meets the people out- 
side with a pitcher of water (the emblem of peace) in his 
hand the abusive ditty is not sung. 

Excommunicated persons who may be readmitted 
now work as hard as they can to raise money enough for 
the fines, gifts etc. 

As soon as they have enough they report it to the 
head-man, and he, again, to the pargana. The latter calls 
the parganas of twelve districts together and presents the 
matter to them. 

On a certain day they meet outside the village con- 
cerned. The sinner kills goats and swine and prepares a 
sumptuous repast. Then he takes a pitcher of water and 
walks out to the assemblage, where he stops, holding the 


248 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


pitcher in both hands in a peculiarly humiliating and sup- 
pliant manner. 

The oldest of the parganas says : “Let us go and con- 
sole him. He looks so wretched and miserable.” But 
they really think only of the fine food and of the money 
which they are to receive. 

Then the parganas approach, the penitent man folds 
his hands and turns to the sun-god, his face expressing 
profound devotion. Then he says to the parganas : 
“Gracious lords! I have sinned grievously! I confess 
my sin. Have mercy upon me !” 

The oldest pargana walks up to him, takes the pitcher, 
turns to the sun-god and invokes him. Then he says to 
the sinner: “You have confessed your sin. We all take 
your sin upon ourselves and carry it.” He takes a mouth- 
ful of water from the pitcher and passes it to the others, 
and they do likewise. 

They proceed to the village, where the penitent man 
washes the feet of the leading men, and they sit down to 
eat. The person who has been readmitted distributes 
the food on plates. On the plate of each pargana he 
places five rupees besides the food, the head-man of 
his own villlage receives five rupees, and each of the other 
head-men receives one rupee. 

When the meal is finished the oldest pargana says: 

“We have readmitted , his impurity is washed off. 

From this day on we can eat and drink together with him 
and smoke from his pipe, give our daughters to him or his 
children and let him fetch water from our wells. He is 


READMISSION 


249 


now perfectly pure. Any one who in future mentions 
the past sins of this man shall pay one hundred rupees.” 

They now dig a little grave, where they bury some 
cow’s dung, and fill up the grave with stones and dirt 
This signifies that everything shall be buried and forgot- 
ten. 


TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 

At the Home of his Parents. — Friction. — Friendship.— Old People 
and Grand children. — Dividing the Family. — Inheritance.— Independent 
House-keeping. — The House. — Domestic Animals.— Clothes.— Orna- 
ments. — The Man’s Work. — “Sitting-Da> s”. — Industries. — Agriculture. — 
The Harvest. — The Occupation of the Women. — A Day’s Program. — 
Cooking. — Male Assistance. — The Occupation of the Children.— The 
Boys. — The Girls. — Plays. 

A Santhal does not begin house-keeping on his own 
account immediately after his marriage, but he and his 
bride live with his parents. 

Sometimes they remove to her parents. But his par- 
ents do not take kindly to this arrangement, and he loses 
his rights as their heir. Some parents show their resent- 
ment by celebrating the funeral of their son after he has 
left them to live with his parents-in-law. 

The father is most fond of his oldest son if he is a 
good boy, but the mother likes her youngest son best. 

The father instructs and educates his sons, and the 
mother takes care of the education of their daughters and 
daughters-in-law. 

When the old folks are no longer able to manage the 
house-keeping this function devolves upon their oldest 


[250] 


FRICTION 


251 


son and his wife, and they become responsible for the 
conduct of their younger brothers and sisters-in-law. 

It is evident that there is apt to be friction in a family 
containing a goodly number of daughters-in-law, sisters-in- 
law, uncles and aunts. 

The old man will always get angry when things fail to 
work smoothly. But he scolds his wife chiefly. At times 
he may rebuke his sons, but he never says an unkind word 
to his daughters-in-law. 

But the greatest difficulty is apt to arise between the 
old woman and her daughters-in-law, or among the 
daughters-in-law. It also happens at times that the broth- 
ers become hostile to each other. 

People say: mother-in-law is like a bitter fruit: 

it does not taste well. — Children and daughters-in-law 
are like a closed ear: they do not hear. — Children and 
daughters-in-law are like a boda snake : they are too lazy 
to stir.” 

Of a son-in-law it is said: ‘'The daughter’s husband 
is like inflammable fuel ; he gets angry very quickly.” 

“Children not belonging to the family are like a timber 
chicken ; they never become like the other children of the 
family.” 

The wife of the oldest brother must always be on good 
terms with her husband’s brothers and younger sisters. 
They never quarrel. The young girls confide all their 
secrets to her, good and bad indiscriminately, and the 
younger brothers may joke and laugh together with her 
without offense. No matter how intimate the relation be- 


252 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


comes, people pay no attention to it unless, indeed, it be- 
comes too conspicuous. 

The old folks are exceedingly fond of their grand- 
children. They like to carry them under their arms and 
caress them. If the brothers live in peace and harmony 
they also love each other’s children. 

When there are too many grand-children in a house, or 
when the brothers cannot agree, the old folks separate 
them. 

The head-man and the people are called together, and, 
in the presence of all, the property is divided, each son 
as well as the old folks receiving their share. 

The old folks turn their property over to that son with 
whom they decide to live during the balance of their lives, 
and they are supported by him. 

The girls receive nothing except when they are to 
get married. In that case they generally get a calf. 

The unmarried sons receive twice as many head of 
cattle as the married ones, so that they may be able to cel- 
ebrate their wedding in the proper manner. 

The stock which the wives of the sons have received 
from their parents or father-in-law shall not be divided. 
But what the bride-groom received of his father-in-law as 
nuptial presents is common property, and is divided. 

When a young couple are to live by themselves they 
first build a house. 

Of the head-man they procure a site for which they 
pay with liquor and whatever else they may agree upon. 


THE HOUSE 


253 


The young man fetches the necessary timber as well 
as grass for thatching from the woods or buys them. 

The walls of the house are built of soft, clayey dirt. 
Timbers are put on top of the walls, and the whole is 
thatched with straw. His wife gives the walls a dressing 
made from dirt and cow’s dung. 

The house is divided up into compartments, of which, 
however, there are not many. A little closet is set aside in 
the rear as an abode for the departed ancestors. This is a 
sanctuary which no female stranger is permitted to enter. 
Some people do not even permit their own daughter to 
enter it after her marriage. 

Money is placed in this room for safe keeping. 

When the house is ready a fire-place is made. This 
is only a hole in the ground for the kettle and another 
slanting hole for putting fuel under the kettle. The neces- 
sary utensils are procured, such as knives, a plow, a flute, 
bow and arrow, a battle-ax, a sword, a drum etc. But 
poor people must get along without battle-ax, sword and 
drum. 

Behind the house a garden is prepared for raising 
maize. 

The man builds a stable for his stock. This building 
is generally located close to the street in front of the 
house. He also builds pens for the goats and the hogs. 

The cats and the chickens generally stay in the house, 
and the dog keeps guard on the veranda. 

The clothes are made of white cloth, which the San- 
thals themselves weave or buy from others. 


254 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The garment usually worn by the men consists of two 
pieces of cloth. One of them is seven and one-half by 
one and one-half feet, and is wrapped around the waist 
in such a manner as to cover the loins and the knees. The 
other piece is seven and one-half by four and one-half feet 
and is hung over the shoulders so as to cover the upper 
part of the body. 

If a man is rich he wears a third piece, which is seven 
and one-half feet long and which he winds around his 
head as a turban. 

But poor people cannot afiford to dress so well. The 
poor man’s garment consists of a piece of cloth which is 
three feet long and nine inches wide. He ties this around 
his waist, passes one end of it between his legs and fastens 
it behind. Or the piece of cloth may be four feet six inch- 
es long and one foot six inches wide. But many have 
to content themselves with a cord around the waist and 
a narrow strip of linen cloth which passes between the 
legs and is fastened to the cord in front and behind. 

During the cold season they frequently wear a piece 
of thick cloth outside the usual garment. 

The women wear only one piece of cloth. This is 
fifteen feet long and is tied around the waist and dexter- 
ously thrown over the shoulders. 

The children walk about naked until they are eight 
years old. After this age both boys and girls wear some- 
thing around the waist. 

The men wear long hair. They twine it together 
either behind or on top of the head. 


ORNAMENTS 


255 


The women also wear long hair, and they leave it 
hanging down like a cow’s tail. 

Both men and women ^comb their hair occasionally, 
but some of them leave it undisturbed for a great length 
of time. 

In days of yore none but unmarried people wore orna- 
ments, and nothing but flowers were used for that pur- 
pose. In our times almost everybody, men as well as 
women, married as well as unmarried people, wear rings 
in their ears. Old men wear bracelets of brass or other 
cheap metal. Old women wear big brass rings around 
their necks, and rings on their fingers. The young men 
are similarly adorned. When they dance they carry foot- 
bells of different kinds and feathers and tassels in the hair. 
The girls wear several heavy bracelets on their arms, some 
of them being placed above the elbow. They carry heavy 
rings around their ankles, up along their legs and on 
their toes, big clamps and strings of beads around their 
necks, rings in their ears etc. The children carry small 
bells on their feet and arms. 

The ‘"sitting-days” last from the middle of February 
to the middle of May. During this period the men pre- 
pare tools, provide for the house and procure what is 
needed during the busy season. There are many things 
to which he may put his hand who is not too lazy to 
work. 

During this period they have to make plows, drags, 
spades, axes, ropes, chisels, bed-steads, stools, dippers, 
bows, arrows, flutes, rice-pestles etc. They are also en- 


256 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


gaged in weaving and fetching fuel and materials for build- 
ing and repairing houses. 

The time between May fifteenth and September tenth 
is devoted to the tilling of the soil. The Santhal keeps on 
plowing from morning till noon, and in the afternoon he 
uses hoe and spade in the rice-fields. 

He first sows different kinds of small grain, and maize 
and pease later on. Finally the rice is sown. This is 
transplanted later. 

Now the maize begins to sprout, and along with this 
come the weeds. The latter must be fought, and the wo- 
men also take part in this work. 

Then comes the time for preparing the fields for 
transplanting the rice. About the first of August the cot- 
ton and sesame seeds are put into the ground. About 
one month later a different kind of pease is sown, and 
olive seed is sown on elevated ground. 

Then the maize and the grain put into the ground 
earliest in the season are harvested. This work is done 
partly by the women. They also assist in keeping the 
cotton plantations clean. 

In October the maize-fields are plowed, and mustard- 
seed and a kind of winter-grain are sown. The rice first 
planted on elevated ground is cut about this time. , 

In November the thrashing-grounds are prepared, the 
rest of the rice is cut, and the other crops are harvested 
as soon as they get ripe. The cotton crop is gathered by 
the women exclusively, and the men bring everything to 
the thrashing-grounds. 


THE OCCUPATION OF THE WOMEN 257 


The thrashing is done by binding several oxen together 
and driving them over the material to be thrashed. The 
oxen are not muzzled. But they are prevented from eat- 
ing altogether too much. Pease, sesame and some other 
crops are thrashed by means of long stakes. 

In January the mustard is harvested and the forest- 
grass is cut for thatching. This closes the work in the 
fields for the year. 

Now comes the time for the men to settle with the 
money-brokers, and the head-man of the village demands 
rent for the use of the land. 

Men and women co-operate in pressing the oil out of 
the sesame. The mustard oil is made for home con- 
sumption, while the other oil is sold. 

Castor oil and other oils are extracted from fruit trees. 

The women are occupied all the time. 

They rise at cock-crow to pound rice. 

At day-break they apply a coat of a mixture of clay 
and cow’s dung to the compound in order to make every- 
thing look tidy. 

They next fetch water from the well or the brook un- 
til the men and children awake. 

The housewife serves the rice-soup left from the pre- 
vious day, and she takes her meal only after her hurband 
and children are through eating. 

After breakfast she builds a fire and begins to cook the 
dinner. When the rice is done she dips it out and puts 
it into a basket. While the rice is on the fire she pre- 


258 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


pares plates and dishes from the leaves of trees, and at 
twelve o’clock she serves her dinner. 

From twelve to five o’clock the women are engaged in 
different kinds of work. They go to the woods to fetch 
leaves and vegetables, and fuel if the distance is not too 
great. Or they stay at home preparing cotton and spin- 
ning it into yarn, which the men afterwards use for the 
loom. 

At five o’clock water is needed again. Supper is 
served at about eight o’clock. 

The food consists mainly of rice and different kinds of 
vegetables seasoned with a little salt. Meat is used only 
off and on. It is always served with spices of different 
kinds. 

The Santhal women usually prepare the food well, and 
they keep their kettles and bowls fairly clean. 

Part of the work of a woman is to assist her husband 
in the fields. It is her duty to transplant the rice. She 
must keep the weeds down in the maize fields and cut the 
rice when it is ripe, and after the rainy season she must 
plaster the houses inside and outside with a mixture of 
clay and cow’s dung. 

The boys spend their whole time in playing until they 
are old enough to herd the stock, and later on they tend 
to their parents’ stock. 

They rise early in the morning and chase the cattle 
over the fields to the pastures. The boys use their spare 
time on such occasions for shooting little birds with bow 
and arrow or learning to play the flute. 


PLAYS 


259 


At noon the stock is chased home again, and now 
comes the time for milking the cows. (Whatever milk is 
not consumed by the children is kept until it turns, and 
butter is churned from it. This is melted and used as oil 
for the table. The buttermilk is either drunk or given to 
the poor.) 

In the afternoon the boys again take the cattle to the 
pastures, and just before dark the stock is stabled. 

The girls assist their mothers in caring for the smaller 
children, gathering herbs etc. When they get bigger they 
must fetch water or leaves. Later on they assist their 
mothers in preparing the food. 


Boys and girls play together before they are grown. 
They have different games, such as ''Hawk and Dove” — 
^'Blind Man’s Buff”— "Find the Needle in the Haystack” 
— "The Shepherd and the Wolf” etc. 




TWENTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 

Conjugal Life. — Peculiar Women. — Peculiar Men. — Parents and 
Children. — Servants. — Wages — Sickness. — Quacks. — Sorcerers. — Friend- 
ship and Relationship. — Mutual Help. — Ingratitude. — The Refuge of 
Wronged Wives. — Right of Inheritance. 

Some married people live very peaceably and happily 
together. In the day they try to lighten each other's 
burdens. In the evening they talk about their work, and 
if it is necessary he will assist his wife in sewing. 

When the supply of provisions is running low he will 
say: ^‘You must be careful when you prepare the food 
now; our supply is scanty." Or if he is not watchful she 
will say: ‘^You will soon have to procure supplies for the 
table, for there is but little left. — The children's clothes are 
almost worn out. What are you doing to get clothes 
for them? — Our boy will soon be a man. Is it not time 
for you to look around for a wife for him? He may easily 
cause trouble by some false step if he is not cared for 
soon. — The children do not hear me. How much am 

[260] 


PECULIAR WOMEN 


261 


I to say? I wish you would rebuke them. — The chil- 
dren are feverish, get somebody to feel their pulse.” 

Thus the married couple are in the habit of talking and 
listening to each other. As long as they can converse 
and discuss family matters everything goes well, and ''they 
eat with one heart.” 

But some women are hard cases. They are harsh to- 
wards their husbands the whole day. They fret and 
scold in a fearful manner, and the man has no peace. If 
he talks to, or only looks at, another woman, his wife at 
once accuses him of infidelity. If he does not return from 
a place when she expects him she is offended, and if he 
asks for water she will bark out: "There! gulp it down 
now! Did not she give you water? You are dry, aren’t 
you?” 

Her talk is exceedingly irritating and insulting, and 
the man’s blood begins to boil. But as he cannot keep up 
with her in scolding he must resort to the cane, and 
when he becomes furious his blows are very apt to be felt. 

But whipping cannot subdue her. She screams ter- 
ribly, and between the screams she pours out a torrent 
of the ugliest things she can think of at the moment: 
"Did you not see how I looked before you married me, 
you infamous villain? ! With such a lousy dog I will 
not stay another moment! Are there no men but you 
in the world?!” 

When trouble of this character breaks out the children 
are scared, running out and yelling and screaming to the 
neighbors : 


262 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


''Come ! Come ! Father is beating mother to death V 

In a short while the whole population of the village is 
on the scene. But in a case like this it is often difficult 
to re-establish the proper harmony in the family. 

But if some women are rabid there are also men who 
are not inferior in meanness. 

Some men beat and kick their wives fearfully, "no 
matter how hard they work and how well they prepare the 
food.” They stare fiercely at them the whole day, and ' 
use only coarse, abusive words in talking to them. Some 
men spend everything they have for strong drink, and 
the family suffers from want. 

In such cases divorce is usually the only way out of 
the difficulty. But it also happens that the parents are 
kept together by the love for their children; "but such 
people are very unhappy.” 

The parents never beat their children, except when 
excited and angry, and if their father beats themi their 
mother will interfere. 

Little is known about the punishment of children, and 
the little ones are permitted to do just about what they 
please. If they do not obey after having been admonished 
once or twice they are left alone, and if they are punished 
they run away. Children who thus run away always ob- 
tain shelter and permission to stay somewhere until their 
parents can fetch them. And the parents must talk very 
sweetly to them and promise never to beat them again, 
or else they will not return home. If they refuse point 
blank to return home their friends will not resort to com- 


SERVANTS 


263 


pulsion, and they are permitted to stay as long as they 
please. For this reason the children may be disobedient 
without fear. They are scarcely ever punished, and if 
they are punished it is of no avail. 

Those who have too much to do but have too few 
people of their own to do the work, often keep servants. 

When some one needs a servant he generally applies 
to a middle-man, and the latter goes out in search of one. 
If a suitable man is found he and his parents are intro- 
duced to the man who needs help. All three are now 
dined and treated to liquor, and the wages are agreed 
upon. 

Young men-servants receive two rupees a year if 
the payment is made in cash. But if a man-servant is paid 
by being permitted to glean what remains after the crops 
have been harvested, certain rules are agreed upon for 
leaving handfuls of grain at certain intervals in the rice- 
fields. 

Girls receive only one rupee a year or the same rights 
as young men to glean grain in the fields. 

At the rainy season the young men receive every-day 
garments, and at the close of the year a better set of 
clothes. 

At Sohrae (the yule of the Santhals) each servant re- 
ceives twenty cakes, and this is also the time for agree- 
ing on the terms for the ensuing year. 

If a young man serves in a family where there is no 
servant girl he must get up at cock-crow to assist the 
house-wife in pounding rice. If the house-wife is pleased 


264 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

with him he has a very pleasant time. But if he is not 
on good terms with her his lot is a hard one, no matter 
how kind his landlord may be to him. She gives him 
poor food, and little of it at that, and by her everlasting 
innuendoes she succeeds in setting him and her husband 
by the ears. 

If there is a grown daughter in the house and the 
servant is well liked by the house-wife the parents are 
apt to make arrangements for uniting them in wedlock, 
in order that he may stay there and work five years as 
payment for his bride. 

The usual pay for a day’s work in the fields is breakfast 
and dinner, a little food for the children and four 
pounds of unhulled rice. 

When a member of the family is sick some one is 
sent for to feel the pulse of the patient. 

When the diagnosis has been made the doctor says- 
that the patient must take medicine and that he will re- 
cover. 

'Tlease prepare the medicine,” is the rejoinder. 

Then the doctor goes to the woods and gathers roots 
and herbs, from which he prepares a tea which the patient 
must drink. If the medicine does not help within three 
or four days the physician says: ^'All others who suf- 
fered from this ailment were cured by this medicine. I 
do not understand why it does not effect a cure in this case. 
Consult some one else.” 

Now the sorcerer is sent for. He rubs oil on some 
leaves, whereupon he, according to his own explanation, 


THE SORCERER 


265 


can read from the leaves and thereby ascertain whether the 
patient suffers from a real disease, spirits or witchcraft. 
He does not like to say at once that it is witchcraft. But 
three sorcerers residing in other villages must first be 
consulted. If they agree that the ailment is due to spirits 
water must be poured on the ground, and the spirits must 
be entreated to withdraw from the body of the sick person. 

Then the first sorcerer is called again. He performs a 
lot of rites over the sick person. Thereupon he leaves the 
room and punctures his own body at five different places 
until he bleeds, meanwhile invoking the spirits to heal the 
sick person for the sake of the shedding of the blood of 
the suppliant. 

If this does not help he says: ^T am unable to do 
anything. Go to the head-man. A witch is involved in 
this case.^’ 

Next to the parents, the wife’s uncles and aunts are the 
most highly esteemed of all the relatives. Married peo- 
ple visit them most frequently, and they always bring 
gifts, such as chickens, swine and liquor. The relatives on 
the husband’s side are also thought a good deal of, but 
not so much as those mentioned above. An old legend 
illustrates this : '‘Once upon a time it happened that the 
uncles on either side called at the same time to see the 
baby of a newly married couple. When they had eaten 
dinner it looked like rain. Then the young wife took her 
baby outside and said: 'See how the dark clouds are 
rolling up in the direction of your uncles on your mother's 
side while it is quite clear in the direction where your 


2(56 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


uncles on your father’s side reside!’ (This is interpreted 
as follows: the wife’s relatives cannot go home). The 
man’s brothers took the hint. Clouds were rising all around 
the sky. The woman wanted only her husband’s kins- 
men to leave, so that she might butcher some animal for 
supper, and prepare a splendid meal for her relatives. 
Therefore they took leave and went home on the pretext 
that they could not under any circumstances stay over 
night. When they were gone the woman said to her 
oldest brother: 

‘Brother, you must not go. We have a jar of old, 
sour liquor. Stay with us over night !’ 

The husband killed a pig for them, and they ate and 
drank and had a right royal time.” 

The women do not like the kinsmen of their husbands. 
They are on friendly terms with them only as far as they 
think they may gain something thereby. Otherwise they 
have no heart for them. 

If a family is embarrassed in some way help may be 
expected from the brothers-in-law on either side, provided 
they are on good terms with each other. 

When some one loses his parents or for some reason 
is unable to support himself he is adopted by relatives who 
are more prosperous : they either admit him as a member 
of the family or give him land to till. But it is claimed 
that poor people of this kind very often prove themselves 
ungrateful to their benefactors. 

“When such starved people have accumulated a little 
flesh on their bodies they show you their thumb,” it is 


RIGHT OF INHERITANCE 


267 


said of them, ‘‘and they would throw you into the river 
to sink or float. — When you are in need they will leave 
you in a lurch. — When they grow big they will leave 
you. — Such people will be punished at some future 
time — they themselves or their children.’’ 

A woman always looks upon her father and brothers 
as supports. If she does not agree with her husband and 
he beats her or calls her a witch she complains to her 
father and brothers, and they will immediately exert them- 
selves in her favor, according to the right which they 
reserved to themselves at her wedding. The women, 
therefore, have the utmost confidence in their fathers 
and brothers. 

If the mother dies before her children come of age 
and the father marries a second time the children cannot 
demand to have the property divided. But if the sons 
are married they are entitled to be separated from their 
father as soon as he takes unto himself another wife. 

In the latter case the people of the village congregate 
at an appointed time, and everything is divided. 

If the second wife has no children the sons of the first 
wife inherit their father’s share when he dies. But thereby 
they also pledge themselves to bury their stepmother 
when she dies. 

If a man dies without having any sons all his property 
goes to his father and brothers, his wife receiving only 
a calf, 1,200 pounds of rice, a brass dish and a piece of 
cloth. She returns to the house of her parents unless one 
of the younger brothers of the deceased marries her. 


268 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


If the widow has daughters the parents or other kins- 
men of the deceased take both her and her children to 
their home: and take possession of what they have. When 
the girls grow up they give them away in marriage as 
if they were their own. They also support the mother 
of the girls until she dies, unless, indeed, she prefers to stay 
with some of her relatives or with one of her children af- 
ter her daughters are married. 

A widow having sons may keep the whole property. 
But the relatives of the deceased see that she does not 
waste whatever there is. 

If a widow is married while her children are unmar- 
ried their next of kin on the father’s side take both the 
children and the property, and their mother can claim 
nothing; but as a rule they voluntarily give her a calf. 

A father is always his son’s heir. If the father is dead 
his brothers are his heirs. If he has no brothers his 
property is inherited by their sons. If neither they nor 
their children are living the property goes to the uncles 
of the deceased on the father’s side. If no heir is found 
the property goes to the king. 



TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER 


The Village. — Search for a New Place. — Good and Bad Omens. — 
How to Build a Village. — The Sacred Grove.— The Gods Choose Their 
Places. — The Head-Man’s Residence. — Election of Priests. — Covenant 
with the Gods.— Village Government. — The Head-Man. — The Paranik. — 
The Superintendent of Morals.— The Village Messenger.— The Priest.— 
The Field Priest. — Distribution. 

The Santhals build their houses in large groups and 
establish organized villages according to definite laws, the 
government being vested in a head-man, or chief, and 
other officials. 

When some one wants to move out and start a new 
village three or four men, with a leader at the head, go 
into the forests to find a suitable place. 

Finding a place which is to their liking, but seeing 
that certain kinds of birds are scared away, they will say : 
'Tf a village is built here, it will be deserted in the future.’’ 
But if these birds remain sitting on a branch, or the men 
see a tiger, or even its tracks only, they say: ‘^This vil- 
lage will once become great and prosperous.” They next 
investigate more closely as to the fitness of the soil for 
the production of rice and maize, and as to the abundance 
of water, whereupon they return home to report on their 
iriission. 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


270 

On a certain day they return to the place, taking with 
them two white and one speckled hen, a little rice, oil, 
red coloring-matter and water in a little pitcher. 

The leader points to the exact spot where the village 
is to be built, and in the evening they mark red spots on 
the ground. Near these spots some of the rice is scat- 
tered, the pitcher of water is also left there, and the hens 
are tied so that they cannot quite reach the rice. 

Then the men pray to the sun, the five gods and the 
six gods, invoking them to come and assist them in finding 
the right place. The men finally withdraw and spend 
the night some distance from this place. 

Next morning they return. If the hens have lost one 
or more large feathers it is said: ^'Some of our grown 
people are going to die in this village.’’ But if small 
feathers have fallen off it is said: ^‘Children are going 
to die here.’^ If no hen has lost a feather it is a token 
that neither grown people nor children are going to die 
there. 

If the hens have left droppings around themselves it 
is an indication that both rich and poor will do well. If 
the droppings appear at one place only, it is said : ^‘Here 
the head-man only will become rich;” if at two places, 
his representative will also do well ; but if at three places, 
one of the peasants will also be prosperous. 

If the water in the pitcher is lower it means lack of 
water. If the hens are loose, the rice gone and the water 
in the pitcher dried up the place is a bad one, and it is 
immediately abandoned. 


HOW TO BUILD A VILLAGE 


271 


But if the omens are favorable the desired land is 
staked out, and the hens are sacrificed. 

When a village is to be started the leader, who is des- 
tined to be the head-man of the village, builds the first 
house at the new place ; when the land has been distributed 
and the sites assigned the others also build houses; and 
they finally return to their old home and announce to 
the others who propose to move out that everything is 
ready. 

On a certain day they all start out, taking with them 
their wives, children and cattle, and proceed to the place 
where they are to build the new village. 

The first work is to cut down the trees on the land 
which is to be cultivated. Some of the timber is used for 
building-material, and the rest is burned on the spot, the 
ashes being used as manure for the first crop. Then the 
houses are built. A street is staked out through the vil- 
lage, and the houses are put up on either side of this. 

At one end of the village a few trees are left stand- 
ing, making a grove which is to be the abode of the gods. 

But to make the gods go to this grove is no easy mat- 
ter. In the first place three or four men must be 
‘‘inspired.’’ This is accomplished in the following manner : 
The head-man gives the appointed men water to wash 
their feet. Having washed their feet, they sprinkle water 
on their heads and sit down in a row. In front of each 
of them is placed a winnowing-shovel made of bamboo. 
A little rice is dropped on the winnowing-shovels, and 
each one of them goes to work, rubbing it above the shovel. 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


272 


Now all the men present shout: ‘‘Come here, ye gods! 
The five gods, the goddess of the sacred grove, the god 
of the pargana, Maran Bum (the devil), we invoke all of 
you and pray you to come!” Meanwhile the four men 
turn their heads this way and that way and act in a 
pitiable manner. When they begin to “pant like a horse 
and froth at the mouth the people say that the gods have 
come upon them.” 

The people appeal to them in a lengthy formula, 
entreating them to tell who they are, in order that the 
people may worship them in a proper manner; and the 
god acting in the inspired man makes a lengthy harangue, 
telling the people who he is. 

The first to answer is the goddess of the sacred grove, 
and the people say : “All hail, thou venerable one !” 

The winnowing-shovel lying in front of the man is 
placed in his hand, and the people entreat him not to hold 
them responsible for their ignorance in case they do not 
know how to worship him in the proper manner. The god 
answers in a “mercifur speech that the manner in which 
they are worshipping him is satisfactory. 

The gods are now asked where they wish to live. The 
gods (the inspired men) then walk to the woods and place 
a little stone at the foot of the tree where each god desires 
to abide. A stone is also carried into the village and put 
into the ground in front of the house of the head-man, 
where subsequently the residence of the head-man, or the 
court-house, is built. When this has been done they return 
and sit down. 


COVENANT WITH THE GODS 


273 


The next thing in order is the election of a priest. The 
gods (the inspired men) are asked whom they want to 
perform the sacerdotal functions. A small brass bowl 
filled with water is placed before them. The gods rise ; the 
goddess of the sacred grove takes the bowl of water ; and, 
headed by her, the gods walk around and select a priest. 

The one who is selected is sprinkled with water, and 
he rises and walks to the sacred grove. Here he first fixes 
the stones placed by the trees of the different gods, firmly 
in the ground, and to each stone he applies a coat of a 
mixture of cow-dung and another coat of red coloring- 
matter. 

The people and the gods now pledge themselves to 
mutual fidelity. The inspired men recover from their 
trance and are conducted to the house of the head-man, 
where refreshments are served to them. 

When the officials of the village, or the assistants of 
the head-man, are elected, the people gather at the house 
of the head-man,who has prepared liquor for the occasion. 

The head-man selects his assistants, using the follow- 
ing language to each one of them: ^Wou must become 
our paranik’’ (assistant head-man) — ‘‘you must become 
our godet^’ (village messenger). 

If he finds suitable men he appoints one for jogmanjhi 
(superintendent of morals) and another for jogparanik 
(assistant superintendent of morals). 

He who can puncture himself and shed his own 
blood is made field priest. 

Then they drink liquor. The manjhi, that is^ the head- 


274 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


man, or chief, is the highest officer of the village. Every- 
thing must be done according to his orders. “He shall 
command and urge, call and order. When a child is 
named, at betrothals and weddings, when the exploits of 
the forefathers are narrated, when people eat and drink, 
when the gods are worshipped, at quarrels and contro- 
versies, when people are hungry and thirsty, in the pres- 
ence of the king and the usurer, in cases of transgression 
and guilt, when some one has been stealing and robbing, 
in cases of witchcraft and sorcery, of assault and battery, 
of man-slaughter, of woe and suffering, of distress and 
danger, of sickness and pain, of death and perdition, of 
cremation and funerals — on all such occasions the head- 
man shall carry the burden of responsibility.” 

The paranik is the head-man’s chief adviser, and during 
the absence of the latter he governs the village. If the 
head-man runs away or dies without leaving sons or other 
close relatives in the village the paranik becomes head- 
man. 

The jogmanjhi shall watch over the young people of 
the village and see that nothing improper takes place 
among them. If immoral acts take place without his 
knowledge he is tied to the central post in the head-man’s 
stable and whipped, and he must also pay a fine. But if 
he detects the misdeed he apprehends the sinner and 
delivers him to the people of the village when they con- 
vene to try his case and decide his fate. 

If the young man is willing to marry the girl his father 
shall suffer for the deed by paying a fine. But if he does 


THE SUPERINTENDENT OF MORALS 275 


not confess his crime he is whipped in the most merciless 
manner by the superintendent of morals, and his father is 
also severely punished. It sometimes happens that a 
father pays fines on account of his son’s immorality until 
he is utterly impoverished. 

During the yule or autumn festival, of the San- 
thals, the young people of both sexes are confided to the 
care of the superintendent of morals. They eat and sleep 
in his house, and he alone is responsible for what happens. 

When the young people go to dances or festivals they 
are headed by the superintendent of morals. 

More liquor is given to him than to any one else in 
the village. 

In ancient times he kept the young people under disci- 
pline. But now there is great negligence. The girls of 
the village give him much liquor that he may hush down 
misdemeanors known to him or be lenient in cases of pun- 
ishment. 

The young men also take pains to be on friendly terms 
with the superintendent of morals, and they often tell 
him confidentially what wrong they have done. Then he 
will say: ‘‘Be careful! If you are caught I am going to 
give you a good whipping.” 

The jogparanik is the jogmanjhi’s assistant, and he 
serves during the absence of the latter. 

The godet (village messenger) calls the people together 
at the command of the manjhi (head-man). 

He is also called the “great head-man”, because the 
people of the village have to obey him in most instances. 
In fact he is a sort of policeman. 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


27(5 

The forefathers used to say that the devil had once 
been god’s village messenger. 

The village messengers are greatly stuck on themselves, 
besides being very vindictive. In many places they have, 
by hook or crook, become head-men, and they have even 
caused themselves to be chosen parganas. 

‘When such fellows become head-men or parganas 
they do not judge justly. They follow whatever is most 
apt to fill their stomachs.’’ 

If the paranik of a village is made head-man the godet 
by right becomes paranik. 

The priest shall conduct the divine services and sacri- 
fice to the gods of the village. This is his work. 

The field priest sacrifices some of his own blood to 
the god of the pargana and the god of the boundary-line 
whenever the priest makes Sacrifices to the gods. Every 
year he sacrifices a hog. He also makes sacrifices when- 
ever the people of the village go hunting, to the end that 
they may return home unmolested. 

When the village officers have been elected they con- 
vene on a certain day to divide the land of the locality 
among the peasants. 

The land is divided up into lots, each lot being of such 
size that it may be cultivated with one plow; and the 
amount of rent to be paid for each lot is fixed. 

To the officials some land is given free of taxes, as 
pay for the services rendered by them. The head-man 
receives one lot; his assistant, three-fourths of a lot; the 
superintendent of morals, one-half of a lot; and each of the 


DISTRIBUTON 


277 


others, one-fifth of a lot. This land is called ‘land of 
honor.’’ 

Formerly the head-man did not receive so much. But 
now there are many head-men who possess large fields as 
“land of honor.” 

If a new village is prosperous, people keep on moving in, 
and the first settlers generally let them have some of their 
land. The head-man also assigns wild land to them for 
cultivation. In this wise there may gradually grow up 
a large village, “where people labor and enjoy the fruit of 
their labor, play and have a pleasant time together.” 


TWENTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. • 

Village Lite. — Wealth and Poverty. — Usurers. — Laziness.— The 
Diligent Are Prosperous. — Worthy Poor. — Orphans. — Fear of the 
‘■•Evil Eye.” — Mutual Help. — With or without Interest. — Cooperation. — 
Mutual Visits. — Relationship. — Conduct and Tokens of Honor. — 
Modesty. — The Times Are Bad.— “Women and Children Rule The 
World.”— The Courts Swayed by Money.— Intimate Friendship. — Unity. 

The people of a village are not all equally prosperous. 
Some keep draft-oxen and servants, are sensible, diligent 
and watchful. Such people get rich. Others have no 
draft-oxen to start with, they have no servants, they are 
foolish and lazy, and their wives waste everything, or they 
squander it themselves by drinking or paying fines. “How 
do you expect such people to get rich?” 

Others, again, must keep paying their fathers’ debts 
during their whole lives. Such people can make no pro- 
gress. They sticcumb to the weight of their debts. 

The usurers are many, and they charge a high rate of 
usury. Their accounts are kept in an unjust manner, and 
when one falls into the claws of the usurer it takes three 
or four generations to become free again. They arbitrarily 
take your stock, your draft-oxen, your tools, your rice 
and whatever else you possess, and if you dare to make ob- 
jections they beat you blue, yellow, green and black. 

“But if the people of the Santhal country remain 
[278] 


WEALTH AND POVERTY 


279 


paupers though they are strong and able-bodied they 
surely have no one to blame but themselves. For if people 
have no oxen of their own they can easily borrow a yoke of 
oxen at the rate of four rupees a year. And if a man has 
many children he may exchange for a yoke of oxen, and 
then it costs him nothing(!); but the child works for 
the four rupees at the house of the owner of the oxen. Or 
a man may plow for the use of the oxen, and then it does 
not cost him anything either( !). He may plow two days 
for the owner of the oxen, the latter furnishing the break- 
fast, and the third day he may work for himself.’’ 

The rent for the use of a lot is from six to eight rupees 
a year. Of the crops, the king receives one-sixth and the 
peasant five-sixths, and he who works new land receives 
a still larger share. This rent is not too high. But some 
men are so lazy that they cannot make themselves break 
new land, and therefore they make no headway. Lazy 
people do no work thoroughly. They make a botch of 
everything. So long as they possess anything they eat and 
drink and play the sluggard. '‘What wonder, then, that 
they spend their whole lives in penury?” 

There are some poor people who are not utterly desti- 
tute. If they possess nothing of their own they work for 
others and earn something. Such poor people generally 
receive aid. Their children are apt to obtain work at good 
pay, and they are permitted to glean ears of grain in the 
harvest-field, the harvest hands leaving some grain for 
them intentionally. 

Persons who are unable to work are aided in the same 
way if they have no relatives to take care of them. 


28 o 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Orphans who have no relatives are cared for by the 
head-man or his assistant. In such cases they live very 
pleasantly, and no one is allowed to treat them as orphans. 
When these children are grown, arrangements are made 
for their marriage. 

In former times there were no beggars, and- even now 
there are but few that have learnt from the Hindus to go 
begging from village to village. This is not a necessary 
evil, for those who are willing to work can easily support 
themselves. 

“Only persons who are lame or blind or in some way 
unable to work ought to be seen at the doors begging for 
food.” 

“Some good people who easily might become rich pre- 
fer to live from hand to mouth because they ‘fear the evil 
eye of the others. It is claimed that certain women are 
very envious. They say; “This one and that one has 
an abundance to eat and drink, but we have nothing.” 
By means of their evil eye such women spoil everything, 
and people become sick and quite poor. They bury evil 
spirits with the rich, who therefore must die.” 

In days of old, prosperous people helped each other 
when necessary, and even now this practice is followed by 
good people. They go to each other for kindling-fire, 
give each other tobacco and lend each other such objects 
as furniture, hoes, spades, axes, chisels, augers, plows, 
drags, rice-pestles, shovels, baskets etc. 

When a man is hard up for a cart he may borrow one 
for a day without pay. But if the owner of the oxen hauls 
the articles he must receive his board. 


MUTUAL HELP 


281 


They also assist each other in building houses, plowing, 
planting rice, digging arouild the fields, cutting rice etc. ; 
and those who receive help furnish only the board, and 
sometimes liquor, while the work lasts. 

In cases of sickness they are in the habit of visiting each 
other, sleeping with each other when necessary, fetching 
leaves to be used as plates at meals, cleaning the stable, 
pounding rice etc., and those who know something about 
the use of medicines will furnish these free of charge. 

On such occasions they always receive their board 
where they stay, and when the sick person recovers he 
invites them to a great feast. Those who furnished 
medicines receive a present. 

Since the rebellion people do not help each other so 
much as they did before. 

Some people are so stingy that they give away nothing 
even if they have a great deal, and they never help anybody. 
But such hard-hearted people are not highly esteemed, and 
when they are in distress themselves no one looks at them. 
People only say: ‘This is retribution from God.” 

People also lend each other such articles as rice, salt, 
oil etc. But only for a short time. If something is lent 
out to be kept for some length of time it is called a loan at 
interest. When rice is loaned the rate of interest is fifty 
per cent. Grain for seed draws one hundred per cent, 
and money twenty-five per cent. 

The Santhals are very fond of working together. When 
the men go to the woods to cut timber for a plow, a plow- 
beam or a yoke, to chop wood for fuel, posts or beams. 


St82 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


they always go in a body. They are afraid of going into 
the woods alone, and, besides, the work is easier when 
several persons are together. 

When they go to the king or the usurer they always 
go in a body in order that they may assist each other. 

In the fall they prepare their threshing-grounds near 
each other to the end that no one shall be left alone in the 
night. 

The boys that herd the stock also go out together and 
run around and gather their flocks alternately. 

The women also go together when they fetch water, 
fuel or leaves and when they go to the market to sell and 
buy. 

When the people of a village are not at work they go 
visiting each other. The men always devise something 
that serves as an errand. For instance, they ask for 
tobacco, inquire about the health of the family etc. 

In the evening they gather at the residence of the head- 
man and talk about anything “that can niake the heart 
glad.” 

The women visit each other on the pretext that they 
want fire. But their “consultations” usually take place 
when they go to fetch water. Then they talk about the 
woe and weal of the village. But their gatherings are not 
always so innocent as those of the men ; for their conversa- 
tion often leads to quarrels. 

Besides relationship through birth and marriage, the 
Santhals also recognize village relationship. 

To certain relatives the Santhal may say “thou”; to 


RELATIONSHIP AND TOKENS OF HONOR 283 


some he must say ''you two'’ (dual form); and to some 
he must say "you all” (plural form). 

Married people, parents, children, brothers and sisters 
and grand-parents to their grand-children, uncles, aunts, 
cousins etc., — all these may say "thou” in addressing each 
other. 

A person must always say "you two” to his sons-in-law 
and daughters-in-law. 

Parents whose children are united in marriage always 
say "you all” to each other. 

Those who say "thou” to each other use "I” when they 
refer to themselves. 

Those who say "you two” call themselves alone "we 
two.” 

Those who say "you all” speak of themselves as 
"we all.” 

A person says "you two” for the sake of politeness ; he 
(or she) wants to include his wife (or her husband) as if 
both of them were present ; and the expression "you all” in- 
cludes the young couple, their children and everything. 

When I was a young boy* we always went to pay our 
respects to our parents as soon as we rose in the morning, 
and if we met any villagers we always saluted them. When 
we went out visiting we always said good-by to our 
parents, and we saluted them when we returned home. 
When we went to feasts we always called at the residence 


* Kolean was almost ninety years old when he told 
this to Skrefsrud. 


284 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


of the head-man to pay him our respects, and this was 
repeated upon our return. 

The young people never antagonized their elders. 
They did not even sit down in the presence of old people. 
Nor did we drink liquor. 

The women listened very attentively to the words of 
the men, and they never woie their hair loose in the pres- 
ence of the men. 

The villagers did great honor to the head-man and his 
assistant, and the latter were gentle and fatherly and did 
nothing without consulting the people. 

But now the times are bad. The women do not sub- 
mit to their husbands, and the children do not obey their 
parents. They are refractory, they do not salute each 
other but pass by like animals. Boys and girls drink 
fearfully, and when older people approach they do not 
rise. When their parents scold them they either become 
abusive or run away, and then their parents must talk 
gently to them in order to coax them to return. 

The women and the children run the world now- 
a-days. Some of them are still good ; but the great body 
of them are base and depraved. 

Now the head-man's decisions are favorable to him 
who pays the most, and the people do not mind their 
chief. Old people whose children are joined in matrimony 
quarrel. In days of old there was only joy and peace be- 
tween them. 

The people of a village are bound together by ties 
of friendship, of course. But there are different grades 
of friendship. 


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Different Ways of Saluting 




INTIMATE FRIENDSHIP 


287 


Some are friends above others, and some are on very 
good terms with each other ; but only a few are cultivating 
an intimate friendship, and none has more than one 
thoroughly confidential comrade. 

In distress and danger a man will risk even his life for 
the sake of a good comrade. 

Bosom friends tell their Joys and griefs to each other 
and stand by each other in all emergencies. The old people 
of the village are very good friends. But the best friend- 
ship is contracted in early youth, as between shepherd boys 
who are always good comrades. 

Among comrades there are certain ones whose hearts 
are bound together. They play the flute together, shoot 
birds and rabbits together, sing together, assist each other 
in gathering the cattle, eat from the same plate and divide 
the game that they kill. Those who become fast friends 
when they are young retain the same feeling when they 
become old. They become friends for life. 

If they part to go to different places but meet again 
later on there is great joy, and they express this by kiss- 
ing. 

When two girls enter into such intimate friendship 
they confirm it at a certain feast by fastening leaves from 
the karam tree (odina cordifolia) in each other’s hair, 
whereupon they bow to the assemblage and serve out 
liquor. They no longer call each other by their names 
but use the expression ''karam twig”. 

In our day it happens that good friends and comrades 
lose their mutual affection because their hearts are de- 


288 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


praved. “People are becoming very selfish and think only 
of their own well-being, and for all they care their fel- 
low-men may go to the dogs.” 

The Santhals are proud of their village if it enjoys a 
good reputation. But if the village or one of its in- 
habitants is not considered reputable the inhabitants feel 
this as a disgrace. 

When a man quarrels with some one from another vil- 
lage all his neighbors side with him. If something objec- 
tionable is heard about a village, complaint is made to the 
head-man, who immediately summons the party concerned 
and demands that the charges be proven. If they can- 
not be proven fines must be paid. 

When a village has become famous its inhabitants 
“feel tall as mountains” when they meet people from 
other villages. 

They are proud of the fame of their village no matter 
how bad they may be themselves 


TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 


Traits of Character. — Pride. — Anger and Fretfulness.— Jealousy. — 
Envy. — Hate and Vindictiveness. — Business. — Buying and Selling. — 
Debt and Loans. 

Sensible people are not proud. It is only fools that 
swell up like a frog. Such persons are despised by 
all. When one that has lived in poverty gets hold of a 
little money or sneaks into a better position, his pride 
rises rapidly. A proverb says: When a servant has be- 
come head-man or a servant girl the wife of a head-man, 
twelve wagons will not hold their pride. 

This has been proven again and again. Village mes- 
sengers have often become head-men and parganas by 
corrupt means. Such men in particular have swelled up 
like a boil, and their wives despise the poor. Some girls 
think they are pretty, and their aim is to be praised as 
veritable birds of paradise, though they be as ugly as night- 
owls. 

The Santhals can stand no teasing. Nor are the men 
very prone to make fun of others. But the women are 
often so addicted to sarcastic talk that they make life 
a burden to their men. 




[289] 


290 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The Santhals are not hot-headed like the Hindus. 
But they may become quite fierce, and then they are apt 
to use their canes. It takes less to offend the women, but 
they are easily made fretful and cross. If you ask them a 
question when they are in this mood you receive no de- 
cent answer, and if you talk to them they bark out like a 
mad dog. This applies also to young women and girls. 

If a man flies into a passion he will soon cool off, 
but a woman must be maneuvered in various ways before 
her mind returns to a state of tranquillity. 

Some men are unable to control themselves when they 
become angry, and they give you mean answers when you 
ask them about something. But when the women have 
the blues they are snappish even when you speak kindly 
to them. 

''Long ago we were very particular. The people had 
some religious fear, and for that reason the men did not 
look to each other’s wives. 

"If some one trespassed against another man’s wife 
her husband would forthwith decapitate the transgressor, 
and for this reason there was little occasion for suspicion.” 

But now-a-days people are not so strict. Capital 
punishment has been discarded, and as lawlessness in- 
creases no one feels safe. Men and women suspect each 
other, and there is no happiness in their homes. They 
also suspect each other without grounds, especially the 
women. As soon as a man looks at another woman his 
wife is apt to accuse him of infidelity, and this gives rise 


ANGER AND FRETFULNESS 


291 


to much quarreling and beating. The everlasting whining 
of the women has led many a good man to take a second 
wife unto himself. 

For ages the Santhals have been inclined to be envi- 
ous of each other. But now they are worse than before. 
This, however, does not apply very extensively to the men, 
excepting some young men when the girls they are fond of 
prefer other men; but the women are fearfully jealous. 
They envy those who are more prosperous than them- 
selves, and especially those whom they take to look better. 
They have a grudge against those who do not want to 
marry them, and through envy they learn to practice 
witchcraft, ^'eating” such men or the girls that these wish 
to marry. The mutual envy among the wives of brothers 
spreads like leprosy. 

At least one-half of the charges made and the fines 
paid are due to envy. The women not only feed their own 
envy, they ''eat’’, and they stir up their husbands and 
relatives until the whole village is ablaze. 

The Santhals are not strong haters. They are more 
apt to become furiously angry. But their anger is of 
short duration. People that hate will not betray their 
feelings to you ; they are more apt to talk pleasantly and 
obligingly to you; but they will not let you alone until 
they have paid you in full. 

Woman’s hate is terrible. It smoulders like burning 
coals in the ashes, and the women are not contented until 
they have quite destroyed the object of their hate. ITiey 


292 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


approach you like the snake that bites in the dark, and 
you are not aware of it until the poison has commenced 
to act. 

We are told that in olden times there was neither 
money nor trade. The people obtained all their neces- 
saries from the ground, or they prepared them with their 
own hands. 

The chief articles of food were rice, maize and other 
kinds of grain, herbs and vegetables, birds, swine, goats, 
hares etc. 

It was customary to extract salt from earth, and oil 
was pressed out of different kinds of wild fruit. The 
people made their own clothes, forged their own weapons, 
made baskets and earthen jars, kettles etc. 

It is not known whether gold was found in olden times. 

At a later date a tribe began to trade by exchanging 
goods, and since the introduction of silver and copper 
coins these have been used as a medium of exchange. 

In our day both men and women are very lazy. They 
neither press oil,boil salt nor weave cloth. They buy 
everything, and therefore we Santhals have been impover- 
ished and plunged into debt over head and ears to the 
money brokers. 

In times of old no one ran into debt to the usurer, nor 
were there any money brokers. 

“It was in Sikhar that the usurers for the first time 
got hold of us. Since that time we have been in their 
power, and like vultures do they pounce down upon us 


DEBT AND LOANS 


293 


and tear us to pieces. We pay and pay until we are ut- 
terly impoverished, and still the debt remains.’’ 

We have an adage which says: ^^A Hindu usurer is 
like a hyena ; he chews even the dry bones.” It was really 
they that drove us out of Sikhar. 

At first they did not charge a very high rate of interest. 
‘They demanded only twenty-five per cent whether it 
was money or rice. But little by little they began to prac- 
tice their unjust extortion. If you owe them three or four 
rupees they will carry ofif every yoke of oxen you have, 
and if you make any objections they threaten you with 
blows. 

“But we too are to blame. People run into debt with- 
out thinking of their ability to pay. Even if they have 
the necessary means they are in no hurry to pay; interest 
added to interest swells the debt far beyond control; and 
then comes the usurer to strip the place of everything.” 


TWENTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 


Amusements and Sports. — Singing and Dancing. — Drinking. — Anec- 
dotes and Fables — Mimicry. — Fishing.— Distribution of the Catch.— 
Fish Traps. 

To enable us to forget our troubles and sorrows we 
have amusements and joys, such as dancing, singing, beat- 
ing of drums, playing the cornet and the flute, story-tel- 
ling, hunting, fishing and carousing. 

We have many kinds of dances, and every dance has 
a song of its own. The dance-music is furnished by drum 
and flute. The girls arrange themselves in one row, hold- 
ing each other’s hands; the boys arrange themselves op- 
posite the girls, but they do not hold each other’s hands. 

^^Dancing is a great amusement for boys as well as 
for girls. They wish to dance the whole night and work 
during the day without feeling tired — they are so 
happy !” 

'“'The old folks do not forbid the young folks to dance. 
On the contrary, they go to dances themselves as lookers- 
on, and when the young people begin to get dull they 
say to them: ^'Stop now, or you will be too drowsy to 
work to-morrow.^^ The young people answer : ''All right ; 

[ 294 ] 


DRINKING 


295 


we shall stop at once/’ But still they keep on until they 
are tired. 

As a rule the old folks do not dance themselves except 
at certain festivals. 

The real amusement of old people is derived from 
drinking liquor. 

As soon as they grow a little tipsy they begin to speak 
about a thousand different things, about the old country, 
the land-owners, the usurers, dancing, singing etc. When 
they become drunk they lie down, and that is the end of 
their happiness. 

The women also drink a great deal. Formerly the wo- 
men were not prone to drink, and young boys and girls 
did not drink. But in our times everybody drinks so that 
it is a great shame. 

Formerly no one was in the habit of drinking from 
metal cups but only from small leaf-cups. But now-a- 
days people will drink large quantities from brass bowls, 
and yet they are not satisfied. 

In former times it happened only occasionally that a 
man drank of the liquor of the saloon-keeper, but now 
people drink at his place until they are compelled to beg 
for food. If they have no money they take rice or grain 
as long as there is any in the house; and when they return 
home without finding a good meal waiting for them they 
abuse their wives. 

If they have no rice or grain they drink on trust, and 
in the fall the saloon-keeper comes and carries away the 
threshed rice, 


296 


L‘IGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The wives and children of such men have a very hard 
time of it. They must go to the woods in search of wild 
roots and herbs, which they cook and eat. 

Formerly people did not drink so much that it impaired 
their health and strength. But now this everlasting drink- 
ing of liquor, combined with early marriages, has checked 
the development of the people, rendering them small and 
dwarfish. How^can they remain strong when they live 
in this way? 

People are very fond of stories, fables and riddles. 
When the daughters or the daughters-in-law are busy pre- 
paring supper the old men and women are often found 
telling anecdotes, fables and riddles to the children. 

If some one has many stories to tell the young people 
of the village will gather around him. Some people know 
so many stories that they can keep on tellling them the 
whole night without exhausting their supply and without 
tiring their hearers. 

The young people learn a great number of riddles, 
which they propound to each other the whole day long. 

The boys are particularly apt at learning stories and 
fables, and if the girls learn any, it is only after they have 
grown old that they become bold enough to tell them 
to others again. 

Most fables treat of foxes and jackals; kings are usu- 
ally the subjects of the anecdotes; and the riddles cover 
practically everything. 

''Mimicry is one of our amusements, and none but 


MIMICRY 


297 


mimologists are successful in this branch. The lookers-on 
laugh and roar for all they are worth. 

‘The mimics ape other people's faults, for instance, 
sulkiness between man and wife, going to the wife's pa- 
rents, attempts to weep, other people's gait, dancing and 
way of eating, man and wife etc. When they represent 
women they ape their clothes and voice, and the 
people split their sides with laughing. 

“Fishing is one of our amusements. We fish in ponds 
and rivers. 

“The head-man of the village where the fish is to be 
caught sends word to the people. At noon on the ap- 
pointed day the villagers convene. If there are unfavor- 
able omens in the way they are removed by means of 
sacrifices to the spirits, and the work of mending the nets 
is taken hold of. Some people catch fish with their hands 
merely, and when this happens they make a great fuss for 
pure joy." 

The owner of the pond receives one-third of the catch, 
and the people distribute the balance among themselves. 
If the fish is caught in a river one-third of it goes to the 
head-man, or the chiefs if the river forms the boundary 
line between two villages. 

There are also several other ways of fishing. “For 
instance, we bring all kinds of objects from the woods 
and throw them into the water, or we beat the water with 
them until the fish get drunk and come to the surface." 

Sometimes two or three men will empty a pond and 
take the fish remaining on the bottom. 


298 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


During the rainy season we make traps which we place 
in the rivers in the evening, and in the morning we go 
out to fetch the fish from the traps. 



TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 


Hunting. — Brave Men.— Preparations. — Sacrifices. — The Respon- 
sibility of The Priest. — To The Woods. — When an Animal is Killed — 
Cowardice. — “Figs”.— Hunting Council. — Supreme Court. — The Hunt 
Continued. — Division of The Game. 

The greatest amusement of the men is to go hunting. 
It has been'so from way back, and no matter how danger- 
ous it is they will not give it up. If some one does not 
want to join the hunting party he is called an old woman. 

Our forefathers attacked tigers and bears without fear. 
Sometimes they were successful and sometimes they were 
worsted, and the case is the same now-a-days. 

As every village has its priest and field priest, so has 
every district its forest priest. At the pata feast the forest 
priest carries a branch around and summons the people 
to meet on a certain day at a certain place to go hunting in 
this or that forest ; '"and when we go home we announce 
it, each in his own village.’’ 

Now the men become very busy repairing their sport- 
ing implements. New bow-strings and arrow-heads are 
made, and the points of the latter are sharpened. The 


300 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


battle-ax and the spear must have new handles and must 
be sharpened, the swords must be burnished, and the wo- 
men must prepare food for the expedition. 

Every head-man must furnish a certain quantity of 
provisions for general use, and of these the poor people 
may eat if they have no food of their own. 

The priest sacrifices live birds to the gods, and at cock- 
crow on the day appointed for the hunt men walk out 
on an open piece of ground to gather all the men of the 
village. They carry drums, flutes and horns, and they keep 
up a general racket until all the men are present. 

When they are all there they shout hurrah and start off 
for the common rendezvous, where they eat their dinner. 

The forest-priest came before day-break to this place, 
and he has ever since been engaged in propitiating the 
gods by rubbing a leaf with oil. 

If he has found out that something is wrong in this or 
that direction he points that way and asks for the names 
of the villages located there. When he has found out the 
names of all the villages in that direction he makes sacri- 
fices for each one in particular, and if it is found that a 
tiger is going to kill people from one of the villages he 
tells this to them and urges them either to settle the mat- 
ter or go home. They answer: ‘Wou must settle the 
matter on our behalf.’’ 

The priest then points out the men that the tiger is 
going to kill and removes the difficulties by sacrificing a 


SACRIFICES 


301 


bird to the gods and rattling off a certain prayer formula 
to the god of day. 

Next the forest priest sacrifices one bird to his own 
god and four to the forest gods. He also sacrifices some 
rice, having first punctured his own body and sprinkled 
a little blood on the rice. 

If the priest finds out while he is on the way that some- 
thing is the matter with this or that forest he orders a 
halt, and no one is permitted to proceed until the proper 
sacrifices have been made. 

He allows the people to eat the sacrificed birds. But 
he himself must not eat until some animal has been hit 
by an arrow. 

While the priest is sacrificing, his feet are bound to- 
gether and a cap is pulled down over his eyes. The ob- 
ject of this ceremony is to prevent the game from seeing 
the hunter and running away. 

When he has finished the sacrifices he throws himself 
down on the ground; a sword is moved back and forth 
above him; and some one says, big beast has been 
killed.’’ 

If, however, some one is killed by a bear or a tiger in 
spite of the intercession of the priest, the latter is assaulted. 
The others threaten him with their battle-axes and canes, 
shouting: ‘‘Kick him! He has led us astray to this place 
to be killed 1” 

Having sacrificed to the gods and eaten their fill from 


302 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the victims, the whole company of hunters enter the forest 
under the leadership of the priest. 

Some men, without the beating of drums and vvithout 
noise, are sent ahead to lie in wait while the rest move 
silently along the edge of the forest to watch in case some 
game should seek a refuge elsewhere. ' 

The main force is divided up into several parties which 
start out in different directions. A drum accompanies 
each party, and this is worked merrily as the men move 
ahead. 

When a man runs across a hare or a bird he shouts the 
name of the animal, and if he strikes a larger animal he 
mentions its name as well as the name of his own village. 

When an animal has been killed the people cut off a 
front quarter and the neck, and if it is a large animal they 
cut off one front leg and the neck. This they immediately 
divide among themselves, the forest priest receiving a part 
of the neck. 

If a man hits an animal with his arrow and another 
man kills it, the latter receives only a part of the shoulder, 
and the rest of the animal goes to the former, excepting 
one front quarter and the neck. 

When some one sees a tiger or a bear he gives a signal 
to the rest. If some one is bitten the drummer next to 
him gives the alarm, by which all are informed that an 
accident has taken place. Those who are nearest run to 
the place at once and give medicine to the wounded man, 
after which they continue the hunt. 


COWARDICE 


303 


Sometimes there are so many hunters around a bear 
that there is no chance for using bow and arrow. In 
such cases they attack him with stakes and poles until he 
bites the dust. Sometimes the bear sees that he has no 
show in a struggle, and then he will suddenly break 
through a row of men and run away grunting. 

When some one is attacked by a tiger it is generally 
his brothers or intimate friends that risk their lives by in- 
terfering. The result is either that they save the man or 
that all of them are killed by the tiger. 

The men of our day are great cowards, and as soon as 
they hear the word ‘Tiger ! Tiger they show a clean pair 
of heels. 

In the evening the hunters withdraw from the woods 
and meet at a previously appointed place to spend the 
night. 

When they have gathered they divide themselves into 
groups, one group for each village. All belonging to 
the same village bring their food, and they eat as from a 
common table. 

It happened in times of old, we are told, that a poor 
man took a bunch of figs with him, and when the people 
saw this they would not let him add his figs to their com- 
mon stock; but told him to eat his figs and go and hang 
himself. This, therefore, was all the food the poor man 
had. The next day he shot a big animal, and instead of 
giving the name of the village he shouted “figs When 
the animal was killed and his neighbors saw who had 


304 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


shot it they wanted to know why he had shouted “figs” 
instead of the name of their village. He then told the in- 
cident from the previous evening, how his neighbors had 
denied him the privilege of partaking of the common mess. 
When the people heard this they reprimanded them 
severely and made them pay heavy fines. Since that time 
no such thing has happened. 

The camp where the hunters cook their supper pre- 
sents a grand and picturesque sight, pile upon pile of twigs 
and logs burning along the hillside. 

When all have supped, the forest priest summons the 
men to council. 

Each village is represented in council by five or six men. 
Some of them play the flute or sing jolly forest songs, and 
some go to bed. 

The boys from the village of the forest priest walk 
from camp to camp, begging merely as a source of amuse- 
ment. They receive a handful of rice in each camp. 
Wherever they go they arouse great merriment and make 
the people laugh. 

The forest priest presides at the hunting-council. The 
men sit down around him in a semi-circle, the most promi- 
nent ones next to him. 

When all are properly seated the forest priest says: 
“Now, gentlemen, if any of you have any troubles, quar- 
rels or difficulties let them be heard. We are getting along 
well, are we not?” 


HUNTING COUNCIL. 


305 


The people answer: ''By means of your benediction 
it is all well with us, in regard to both soul and body.’’ 

To this the forest priest replies: "Our well-being is due 
to God’s blessing.” 

Now they tell their difficulties, one after the other. 
For instance, one steps up and says: "I have had a quarrel 
about a hare with so and so from a certain village.” 

"How?” the priest asks. 

Another answers, "He kicked it down with his cane.” 
A third one insists that his own dog caught it. 

The priest now asks for witnesses. Several are men- 
tioned, and the priest asks them up and cross examines 
them one after the other. The one who proves to have 
been the first to hit the hare receives it. 

The people assist the priest in deciding who is right; 
but he alone announces the decision. 

If there are no witnesses, or the witnesses, from selfish 
motives, make the case too complicated to be seen 
through, the priest takes the arrows of the two parties 
at sunrise the next morning and sticks them into the 
ground. He puts red paint on the arrows, and, standing 
above them and holding a bowl of water in his hand, he 
says: "O God and Father! We decided by thy grace; 
but the two will not abide by our decision. Thou, O 
Heavenly Father, fillest up the heavens as we are scat- 
tered over the earth — we handed down a decision ; but 
as our verdict is not accepted we are — so many human 


3o6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


beings — without blame. Now, thou knowest everything 
about these two men : decide, therefore, who is right 

Having finished the invocation, the priest says to the 
contending parties: ^‘Worship the god of day and take 
away your arrows. We are free from all responsibility. 
Each of you must take his own. Do not fear us, but fear 
God.’’ 

Now one of them must go and take his arrow, saying: 
^T appeal to God as a witness; if I act unjustly a tiger shall 
eat me while I am hunting in this forest. But if I am 
right I shall return home unscathed.” 

If the other man is equally courageous he does the 
same thing. If not, he withdraws. The priest then emp- 
ties the bowl of water upon the ground where the arrows 
stood, saying: ‘^Judge thou, O God, between them!” 

If both have appealed to God in their oaths they are 
ordered to hunt together during that day. It is said that 
they meet a tiger in the midst of the forest. It will first 
attack the one who spoke the truth, but without doing 
him any harm. Then it will turn to the one that lied and 
put an end to his life. ‘‘We have seen this so often. If 
he escapes the tiger he will surely lose his life by some 
other accident.” 

When a case has been settled in council the forest priest 
says: “Gentlemen, if there are more quarrels to settle 
you may state your cases.” 

Then some one may step up and say, “The head-man 
and the five have punished me in a despotic manner !” 


SUPREME COURT 


307 


Or, 'The pargana and the leading head-men have 
judged unfairly in regard to my land (or my son-in-law or 
my daughter-in-law)'' or, "They have, without ca^use, 
branded me as a witch" ; or, "The people in my village have 
shut my door (excommunicated me) without cause". They 
have a great many complaints to make. 

The hunting-council is the supreme court of the San- 
thals. There the parganas, the governors and the leading 
men must refrain from wrong-doing. Common people, 
great and small, are judge and jury there, and if the rulers 
have wronged anybody they will now be made to suffer 
for it. 

Some of those unscrupulous fellows stay away from the 
council entirely because they are either afraid or ashamed. 
If they do not attend, the next day the people assemble 
and fetch them by main force, and if it is proven that 
they have practiced injustice they are heavily fined. 

"In this council justice prevails. In the villages the 
parganas and the head-men may tyrannize us. But at the 
annual hunting-council they cannot subdue us. There they 
pull their tails between their legs like dogs that are 
ashamed. Therefore we poor, wretched people expect 
great things from this council. ^ 

"The whole night is devoted to the trial and settle- 
ment of lawsuits, singing, playing the flute and dancing 
until daybreak. 

"Then they cook and eat their breakfast. When the 
priest has performed the usual sacrifices they proceed to 


3o8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


another forest, where they hunt till noon. Then they start 
on their way home. 

“In days of old the hunt was occasionally continued 
for five days. But now there is not so much timber left. 

“When the hunters return to their respective villages 
their people gather around them, wash their feet and con- 
gratulate them upon returning home after having escaped 
misfortune and death. It is said. Woman’s danger is child- 
birth, man’s is the chase; if you escape these you will 
escape many a hard struggle.” 

Having dined, the hunters gather to divide the game. 
The one who first hit the animal receives the hind-quarters 
and parts of the head, the middle part and the liver. The 
priest receives a piece of meat and the liver to sacrifice to 
the gods. The man that first hit the animal gives a piece of 
meat to the head-man. The officials and the village mes- 
senger also receives a little, and the drummer is not forgot- 
ten either. What remains is dividid among the hunters. But 
they leave a little for those who did not participate in the 
hunt. Hares and other small game are divided among the 
hunters, the others receiving nothing. 


THIRTIETH CHAPTER. 


Three Kinds of Councils. — European Laws. — Increasing Menda- 
ciousness.— Ridiculous Oath. — Different Crimes. — The Bengalis. 

The Santhals have three kinds of councils : The village, 
or head-man's council; the council of the parganas; and 
the hunting, or what may be called the national council. 

The head-man presides at the village council and passes 
sentences; but the village five assist him in judging. 

A pargana is at the head af several villages. Some 
parganas have many villages in their district, others have 
only a few. Appeals may be made from the village coun- 
cil to the pargana. At his council the head-men of his 
district act as advisers. 

Appeals may be made from the parganas' council to 
the hunting-council, at which the forest priest presides, 
and at which every Santhal is entitled to have a voice. 

The pargana receives annually as his salary from each 
village in his district: one rupee, a little butter and 
eighty cobs of Indian corn. The country head-man re- 
ceives from each of the same villages : eight annas, a little 
clarified butter and forty cobs of corn. 

[309I 


310 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


This is what they formerly received. But since the 
arrival of the Europeans things have been wholly shaken 
up in Santhalistan. Now-a-days the decisions are favorable 
to those who pay most liberally, and poor people who 
are unable to pay are simply turned away when they pro- 
pose to sue somebody. 

‘‘Nor do people generally do what is right. They neither 
tell the village head-man, nor complain to the pargana, 
nor appeal to the national council. Even quarrels be- 
tween husband and wife these idiots carry at once to the 
Europeans! What a shame! The rascally lawyers cheat 
them out of very large amounts of money. 

“They put each other into prison, and mutual hatred 
keeps on smouldering like fire in sawdust. This is their 
reward for having abandoned the methods of administer- 
ing justice which were in vogue among their forefathers. 

“Let great criminals be taken to the European courts ; 
but why should we burden them with cases which we have 
been in the habit of settling among ourselves from olden 
times? 

“From the earliest times until very lately the Santhals 
knew nothing about lying. They told exactly what they 
knew about friend and foe, relative or stranger, indiscrim- 
inately. But since the Europeans appeared among us 
people have actually been hung for telling the truth. There 
were no witnesses to testify to their crimes, and if they 
themselves had maintained that they were innocent they 
would have been acquitted. 


INCREASING MENDACIOUSNESS 


311 

'‘In our councils we did not examine the witnesses one 
by one; but we summoned them and examined them all 
at once, and yet no one would tell a falsehood. 

"Now-a-days our people, having learned rascality from 
the Bengalis, will sell their souls and their honor for a 
bowl of liquor; and as our magistrates do not understand 
our language they cannot distinguish between truth and 
falsehood. They are led astray by what the lawyers say, 
and so we get no just decisions. 

"No one respects the easy oath of the magistrates. 
Let them but take an oath like that of our forefathers, and 
their whole soul will tremble, preventing them from ever 
telling a lie in court. 

"One or two magistrates have made Bengalis prepare 
an oath in our tongue; but we only laugh at it, because 
it really works against him who administers the oath. 
The oath reads thus : 'Speak the truth ; if I lie, the tiger- 
god will eat you !’ The witness repeats : 'Speak the truth : 
if I lie, the tiger-god will eat you !’ Why should this oath 
make the witness fear?” 

Kidnapping, manslaughter and wife abduction are 
crimes for which the laws of the Santhals prescribe death. 
Children were sometimes kidnapped and sacrificed to the 
gods. When a kidnapper was caught in the act he had 
to pay for it with his own life, and there were no lawful 
means by which his execution could be prevented. 

When one person killed another by careless shooting 
while they were hunting, the people would generally in- 


312 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


quire into the matter at once. In such cases the killer 
would be made to stand where the killed man had fallen, 
and a relative of the latter would be placed where the 
former had been standing. If he could hit the killer with 
an arrow the crime of the latter was atoned for; but if he 
missed him the guilty man was liberated. 

If one was killed by an arrow which had passed through 
an animal, the one that shot the arrow would be placed 
at the same distance as the killed man from another ani- 
mal. If an arrow passed through the animal and after- 
wards killed the guilty man, his crime was thereby pun- 
ished ; otherwise the killer was liberated. 

The husband of an abducted woman would pursue her 
and her seducer and kill both of them without trial. Kis 
relatives might assist him in tracking them, but he had 
to slay them with his own hand. Now-a-days the elopers 
are not killed, but the seducer has to pay five rupees to 
save his neck. 

Those who married women against their will were 
form.erly punished very severely. Such men had their 
right arm lopped off and one of their eyes gouged out, 
besides being compelled to pay heavy fines. Now they 
may save both arm and eye by paying five rupees. But 
they are also scourged and fined. 

Formerly witches were put to public shame and after- 
wards chased out of the village. In exceptional cases they 
were killed. Even now they are expelled, and occasionally 
killed. ^‘But this is unjust; for our ancestors did not do 


DIFFERENT CRIMES 


313 


so. But if some one in his anger beat them to death he 
was not punished, because such killing was not looked upon 
as murder. 

‘Those who committed adultery or married a relative 
or a person from another caste were excommunicated. 
This practice is still in vogue, though the Santhals of our 
day are very careless in this respect. There are several 
who are guilty, but nothing is done with them. 

“Stealing was unknown among the ancient Santhals. 
But now they have been taught stealing by the Bengalis.’' 

Only one kind of stealing has been known from olden 
times. When sheep or goats strayed and were lost to their 
owners, the people in the village where they went would * 
kill and eat them. If the owner of the animals found 
out what had become of them and could prove it, the village 
had to furnish an equal number of sheep or goats and 
pay a fine of one anna. In our day everything is submit- 
ted to the magistrates. 

“Abortion is known to the Santhals from olden times. 

If it was proven both the one that administered the medi- 
cine and the one that took it were fined ten rupees each. 
Now such crimes are submitted to the magistrates.” 

When anyone wantonly slandered another he would 
have to pay one rupee and four annas to wipe out the 
slander, and an equal amount to the five. 

Only drunken men are guilty of sodomy. Formerly 
we used to give such persons a thorough thrashing and 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


314 

fine them ten rupees. I do not know whether such cases 
may be taken to the magistrates or not in our days. 

A few other indecent sins are to be found among us, 
and they cannot be mentioned in public. 

He that destroys another man’s property shall pay 
the damage as well as a reasonable fine. 

We fine both parties who have beaten each other if 
both are at fault, otherwise only one of them. 

“If two cows butt each other so that one of them is 
killed the surviving one is kept as compensation.” 

If any one makes a false complaint or an unjust de- 
mand we turn the tables on him and punish him. 

If a girl climbs a tree in the sacred grove or enters 
the inner apartment of a house, both of which acts are 
forbidden, she shall provide the animal to be sacrificed 
for such crime. 

Disputes about boundary lines are referred to the par- 
gana, who, in company with the head-men of the neigh- 
boring villages, decides the matter. Quarrels about land 
are settled by the head-man and the five, the losing party 
being fined. 

Such difficulties as these were unknown to us until 
quite recently. But owing to the teachings of the Ben- 
galis our whole country is now troubled with them. 

“Now-a-days the Bengalis deprive us of our villages, 
encroach upon our boundaries and annex our lands. Our 
people say: The Bengalis enter like a needle and swell 
out like a plowshare!’ They also make us dispute and 


THE BENGALIS 


315 


quarrel. Wherever they are there is no peace. They rob 
us of everything by means of false witnesses, and the rpa- 
gistrates do not understand our speech. I fancy, therefore, 
that some day we shall have to decamp and flee somewhere 
else. It would have been a good thing for us Santhals 
if there had been no Bengalis among us.’’ 


THIRTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 


Religion and Worship.— The Day-God. — A Married Couple. — De- 
voured all His Sons. — Different Gods. — Sacrifices. — The Festival of the 
First Fruits. — Janthar. — Sohrae — Busy Time for The Priest. — “Blessing 
the Cows”. — Ox-Dance etc. — Sakrat. — Thatching Festival. — Flower- 
Festival. — Impersonating Gods. — Sacrificing their own Blood.— Family 
Gods.— Too Many Gods etc. 

In the beginning the Santhals had no gods. Their 
original fathers worshiped God alone.' Since we admitted 
gods we have gradually forgotten God. Only his name 
remains, and most of the people of our age do not even 
know his name. We, who have learnt the traditions, 
and one or two other venerable men are the only ones 
who have not entirely forgotten it. 

At the present day people seem to think that the day- 
god is God, and when they take an oath they turn their 
eyes to the sun and call him God. But we teachers have 
retained the knowledge from our forefathers, that God is 
not identical with the sun. He is not visible to the hu- 
man eye, but he himself sees everything. He made the 
heaven and the earth, men and animals, birds, all flying 
and creeping things, fish, plants, in fact everything that 
exists. He supports everything and everybody, great and 
[316] 


A MARRIED COUPLE 


317 


small. It is he that gives life and takes it away. Neither 
life nor death is dependent upon the dictum of gods or 
men. It is God that has apportioned us our measure, and 
until that is full no one can remove us. As we lived here, 
so shall we have good or evil in the next world according 
to his command. 

We think the day-god is good. He produces morning 
and evening, he gives sunshine and rain ; therefore we ap- 
peal to his mercy on special occasions. 

The day-god is a man, the moon is his wife, and the 
stars their children. Our forefathers held that this mar- 
ried couple had numerous offspring, the boys remaining 
with their father, the girls with their mother. The heat 
of the sun and the day stars made the earth feel as though 
it were going to be burnt, so the moon said to the sun : 

‘'Let us eat up our children, otherwise mankind will 
be burnt up.’' 

Then the sun said : 

“You eat your daughters first, and if men feel no re- 
lief thereby I will eat my sons.” 

Then the moon (O woman, we know thy tricks!) cov- 
ered up her daughters with a large bamboo basket and said 
to her husband : 

“I have gobbled up all of mine, but the heat is as 
great as ever. Mankind cannot be saved until you have 
eaten up yours too.” 

Thus she hoodwinked her husband, and he was stupid 
enough to eat up all his sons. 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


318 

When night came he noticed that her daughters still 
existed. He flew into a furious rage and, grasping a 
sword, he hewed ofif a part of her body. He would have 
put an end to her altogether if she had not appeased him 
somewhat by giving him two daughters, the morning and 
the evening star. 

He is still chasing her, and, remembering her tricks, 
he slashes her every month. It is only when her husband 
cools down a little that the moon gets some little relief 
for a day or two. 

Just as the men of the present day make the mistake 
of calling the day-god God, so they make the mistake of 
praying to the gods, saying, ‘‘My Lord and God.’’ They 
pay them this honor to make them more willing to render 
aid ; but in fact they are not God, they are only gods. 

The day-god is the greatest of our gods. Next to him 
comes the fowl-eating god, and then Maran Burn (the 
devil), whose real name is Lita. We also have the goddess 
of the sacred grove and the five gods. We worship the six 
gods in song, but we make no sacrifices to them. Among 
other gods may be mentioned the female lord, the dead 
pargana, the house-god and the tribal god. There are 
many tribal gods, each tribe having one of its own. Each 
house also has its special god. 

The names of the tribal gods and the house-gods are 
not mentioned to outsiders, nor to the women. When 
the old man is about to die he whispers the names into the 
ears of his grown sons. 


DIFFERENT GODS 


319 

But we teachers know the names of all the tribal gods 
and house-gods. 

Some persons, such as doctors and rich men, have gods 
of their own. It is said of the gods of wealth that they 
steal from other people and carry the stolen property to 
their own worshippers. They are even said to snatch 
goods from each other, and the strongest one makes his 
worshipper richer than the others. 

We are told that men sometimes have surprised gods 
of.wealth while in the act of stealing. For instance, a god 
of wealth was once engaged in carrying rice away from 
a threshing-floor. But the owner of the rice, happening to 
arrive at the same time, began to throw stones at the god 
and chased him into the very house of his worshipper. 
There the god slipped into the inner apartment and broke 
all the earthen vessels to be found. 

The man who had chased the god now turned to the 
owner of the house and said: ‘'So thaFs your thief of a 
god ! I have now chased him into your house. Who can 
tell how long he has been stealing from me ! Now I begin 
to see why my crops have yielded so little grain.’^ From 
that time the god made a fearful racket in the inner apart- 
ment whenever his pursuer came near the house, and at 
last the owner of the house begged the man to stay away, 
of else the god would destroy everything in the house. 

In the spring of the year, when seeding is done, sacri- 
fices must be made to the gods, a fowl being brought from 


320 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


every house to the priest to be sacrificed in the sacred 
grove. 

The devil, the goddess of the sacred grove, the five 
gods, the female lord, the dead pargana and the dead 
head-man must have one fowl each, and a black fowl must 
be sacrificed to the boundary god. 

The priest sacrifices one fowl at a time, repeating the 
same formula of prayer to each god. He prays for favor- 
able weather and bounteous crops, for good health, for pro- 
tection from the machinations of witches, for the thriving 
of the cattle etc. 

The fowls are finally made into stew, of which all the 
men of the village eat. 

Two or three days afterwards the master of each house 
makes sacrifices to the tribal god, the house-god, the fore- 
fathers and the devil. 

When the rice has been transplanted the green fowls 
are sacrificed, but they are given only to the village gods. 

The festival of the^ first fruits of the year takes place in 
August. Then the priest proceeds to the field which is 
first ripe and cuts as much grain as he can reach without 
moving his feet. This he takes to the sacred grove, rubs 
an abundance of cow-dung into it and sacrifices it to the 
gods, telling them that it is the first fruits of the year and 
entreating them to eat with pleasure and without taking 
sick. 

Janthar is another festival, which takes place in Novem- 


THE FESTIVAL OF THE FIRST FRUITS 321 


ber. The main sacrifice on that occasion is a pig or a ram, 
the field priest officiating at the altar of the pargana. 

The Sohrae, or harvest festival, is the chief festival 
of the Santhals. It is held in January, after the harvest 
work and the threshing are finished. ‘‘Having gathered 
our new crop, we ‘fill up’ our gods and, having food and 
drink in the house, we entertain our friends. The big and 
the small, the widows and the homeless, all enjoy them- 
selves indiscriminately at this festival.” 

The head-man of the village takes the first step by 
summoning his villagers to a meeting, and the arrange- 
ments are agreed upon for the celebration of the Sohrae. 
At his command the village messenger gathers the liquor 
necessary for religious purposes, and he also issues orders 
to the effect that liquor must be prepared in each house, 
such and such a day having been appointed for the purifi- 
cation preceding the Sohrae. 

Now liquor is prepared in every house. Each one in- 
vites his friends, and on the appointed day all the sisters, 
daughters, nieces, nephews, brothers etc. assemble. 

This is a busy time for the priest. The village messen- 
ger has collected whatever is necessary for the sacrifices. 
At two o’clock he goes out, followed by a number of men, 
including the village messenger, who carries a lot of fowls. 
Having bathed, he takes cow’s dung and makes a magic 
ellipse running north and south. He next drops a handful 
of rice at intervals along the ellipse and draws three red 
lines at each place. 


322 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Then he takes a fowl, sprinkles water on it and puts 
red paint on certain parts of its body. He also paints an 
egg and places it in the rice, and while the fowl is pecking 
at the rice he repeats the formula of prayer to the goddess 
of the sacred grove. He prays her to be pleased with 
the festival. Being only a crowd of ignorant boys and 
girls, they cannot do things on such a grand scale as their 
forefathers. He prays that no sickness may approach them 
now that they have invited all their relatives, but that they 
all may dance, play and enjoy themselves without being 
disturbed by quarrels, hatred or the machinations of witch- 
es. After pronouncing the prayer he sacrifices the fowls, 
which afterwards are cooked and eaten by the men, who 
now also drink the sacrificed liquor. 

The head-man now asks whether any one is not well. 
To this the others reply: 

''We are all well, father, our head-man, through thy 
mercy.’’ 

The head-man says: "Through God’s mercy we re- 
ceive every good thing. Behold, this is the harvest festi- 
val ! Our big older sister has arrived. Dance and enjoy 
yourselves for five days and nights. Let there be no 
quarreling, fighting or coveting, and if there must needs be 
covetousness take the fingers of the unripe ladies, not those 
of the ripe or withered ones (this means, leave the married 
women alone).” 

The public reply: "We will stop our ears with twelve 


‘‘BLESSING THE COWS’ 


323 


heaps of cotton and will heed no complaint, great or 
small/’ Then they sing. 

Now they shout to the herd-boys: “Fetch the cows, 
you fellows, we’ll tread out the circle !” 

The priest takes the canes carried by the herd-boys, 
puts red paint on them and sticks them into the ground 
by the ellipse made of cow-dung. The cows are next 
chased to the ellipse, and the first one to step on the egg 
standing in the rice or to smell of it is seized, and her legs 
are washed and her horns smeared with red paint. The 
herd-boy of the cow is placed on her back, and she is led 
to the head-man of the village, where the boy is taken 
down. The boy bows first to the head-man and then to 
all the old men. 

Then they return home, beating drums as they go, 
and upon their arrival in the village the head-man says to 
the superintendent of morals: 

“The boys and girls are in your charge during the 
whole festival, and the festival itself is also placed under 
your auspices.” 

Thereupon they all disperse, each one going home to 
eat and drink. The old men and women go to bed, and 
the young people go out to “bless the cattle”, beginning 
at the head-man’s house. Stopping at the door of his stable, 
the young men beat drums and sing a song. The girls 
perform a number of ceremonies over the cows and pro- 
nounce a formula, blessing the cows and wishing that they 


324 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


may multiply exceedingly and become a source of wealth 
to their owner. 

The young people walk from stable to stable through 
the whole village, repeating the ceremonies at each place. 

Having finished this part of the program, they gather 
on the street, the boys beating drums and playing flutes, 
the girls dancing and clashing cymbals, producing grand, 
harmonious sounds. 

At cock-crow the stables are again visited. 

The cows are now let loose, and the girls go to their 
work; but the boys play a certain game in front of the 
head-man’s residence. 

Then the boys go out begging for the fun of the thing. 
They carry with them a lot of things and play many tricks. 
When they have finished the village they give the proceeds 
of their begging to the superintendent of morals. 

Later on, the men go to bathe, taking with them their 
yokes, battle-axes and knives. 

In the evening the old men and women walk from 
house to house to drink liquor, and the boys and the girls 
dance in the street the whole night. 

Next morning the people are called together outside 
the head-man’s house. 

Having given them liquor, the head-man says : 

‘‘What do you say? Shall we bind the oxen to the 
posts, or shall we not?” 

They answer: “Yes, sir, at your command we will 
do it.” 


OX-DANCE ETC. 


325 


Posts are now put into the ground, and when the herd- 
boys return with the cattle at three o’clock in the after- 
noon the people again bless the cows, beginning with 
those of the head-man. When the people from the sur- 
rounding country begin to arrive the oxen are taken out 
and tied to the posts. The young men now tease the oxen, 
beating drums and blowing flutes and walking up and 
down the street three times until the oxen become furious 
and try to butt the men. 

The young people of the village, in company with the 
visitors, play different kinds of games while the others 
are looking at them. In the evening the visitors return 
home. But the young people of the village walk up and 
down the street all night. 

In the day the young people walk from house to house, 
making fun and begging for food and liquor, which they 
carry to the house of the superintendent of morals ; and in 
return he must feed them during the festival. 

When they grow tired of dancing in the night the 
superintendent of morals takes them to his house, where 
all of them, regardless of sex, are packed into one room, 
where they are to sleep. 

The superintendent of morals is responsible for the 
consequences. 

In the morning the girls apply cow-dung to the com- 
pound of the superintendent of morals, and the boys shell 
corn. After dinner he takes everybody to his or her home, 
and the harvest festival is at an end. 


326 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


In the middle of January there is a festival called 
Sakrat. On the day preceding this festival the people 
catch fish and crabs. Early in the morning a fowl is killed 
in every house for breakfast, and this is eaten after the 
people have taken a bath. 

At sunrise the men go hunting in the neighboring 
forest. 

When the men return the women have made toothsome 
rice cakes, which the men sacrifice, together with liquor, 
to their forefathers and the devil, whereupon they eat and 
drink. Afterwards they go out and practice at the target. 

The priest is the first one to shoot, and the others 
continue until some one hits the mark. Then the superin- 
tendent of morals steps up to the target and takes the 
man who hit it upon his shoulders and carries him to the 
others. Various games are indulged in, and when they 
go home they carry the target to the head-man’s house, 
where the head-man takes it as his share of the returns of 
the hunt. But he must entertain the others, and he says 
to them: '‘You are splendid fellows. You killed the ene- 
my and saved me, otherwise he would surely have eaten 
me up.” 

In the evening the young people dance in front of the 
head-man’s house, and when they get tired they return 
home and go to sleep. 

The thatching festival takes place late in January or 
early in February, when the grass for thatching is ripe 
for the scythe. 


THATCHING FESTIVAL 


327 


At this festival the head-man and all the other officials 
resign their offices, saying, ''We have had enough of it.’’ 

The people answer: "We too have had enough of it. 
We make over our holdings to you, our head-man, and 
keep only our houses and the sites on which they stand.” 

The head-man then asks where he is to betake him- 
self when they all resign. He wants time to think the 
matter over. 

In a few days he again summons the people to a carou- 
sal. "You remember,” he says, "that I resigned. What 
do you say? I will remain among you if you are satis- 
fied with me.” 

"Yes, sir,” the people say, "we have waited for you all 
this time, and we have not tried to consult anybody else. 
We thought our old chief might change his mind. The 
old masters and the old gods are the best. We know you 
as our head-man. At what other place could we find such 
a shady tree?” 

In the same manner the other officers, one by one, 
call the people together a few days later, ^ive them liquor 
and ask for permission to keep their positions. All this 
is done in order to pass the time and obtain liquor. 

The flower festival takes place in the month of March, 
when the sal-tree and several other trees are in bloom. 
This is the "sacred festival” of the Santhals. 

The young men of the village build two roofs in the 
sacred grove, one for the goddess of the grove, the five 
^ods and the devil, and one for the female lord. 


328 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The priest applies a coat of cow-dung to the altars of 
the gods, whereupon they go to the water to bathe. 
After bathing, the young men eat and drink at the house 
of the priest. They next go to the neighboring forest to 
hunt, and the priest keeps on making sacrifices to the gods 
all day long, washing and anointing a number of ob- 
jects. 

When the young men return in the evening they bring 
fowls to the priest. They all congregate outside the house 
of the priest, where they blow rams’ horns and beat drums. 

In the midst of this noise the gods are to establish their 
abodes in three men, one of them being possesed of the 
goddess of the sacred grove, and the other two of the five 
gods and of the devil. 

The priest hands certain instruments to each of them. 
The goddess of the sacred grove places a basket on her 
head and takes a broom in her hand ; the five gods take a 
bow and arrow ; but the devil shoulders the battle-ax ; and 
all three start for the sacred grove, followed by the young 
men of the village. 

Having arrived at the sacred grove, the goddess sweeps 
the altars clean, the others looking at her. When this is 
done they return to the house of the priest, and upon his 
request they give the instruments back to him. 

Having ordered them to be seated on a mat, the priest 
gives each of them a handful of rice to divine with. Prayer 
having been offered, the rice is handed back to the priest. 
He next asks the gods if they can see the rain-storm as 


IMPERSONATING GODS 


329 


they go, to which they answer that they will gladly see and 
hear the rain-storm. He washes his feet, and as he throws 
the water on the gods they start up and scream. 

Subsequently some of the others present are also 
washed, for instance, the wife of the priest, the drummer 
and the hornblower, and as the priest pours the water on 
them they jump up and scream as the gods did. 

The three men whom the gods are supposed to have 
inspired are now restored to their natural selves by the 
priest, and he entertains them and sends them home. 

In the evening they begin to dance, keeping on all 
night and singing beautiful songs. Only beautiful songs 
are sung at this festival. 

Next morning the priest collects all his sacred utensils 
and necessary vessels for sacrificing, and they all start for 
the sacred grove, the young people singing and dancing. 

The three men are again possessed of the gods, and 
they seize the same objects as they had before and set out 
for the woods. The five gods strike for a sal-tree which is 
in full bloom; the devil climbs up a tree and lops off its 
flowers; and the goddess remains below, gathering the 
flowers in her basket. When the devil has descended from 
the tree they return to the sacred grove and deliver the 
flowers and the tools to the priest. 

The priest makes the gods sit down, and before their 
eyes he sacrifices some fowls in the name of the flower 
festival. ^‘Now, gentlemen, attend to your duties/’ he says 
to the gods, and steps aside. 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The gods now suck the blood of the fowls that have 
been sacrificed. 

Thereupon the priest washes their feet; in return the 
goddess washes his feet, and they finally pour water upon 
each other. 

The priest makes the gods come to, and distributes 
flowers to the young people, who begin to sing and dance 
as they return to the village. 

Afterwards sacrifices are made to the gods in every 
house. 

In the afternoon the people are again summoned to 
the sacred grove by the beating of drums. Having ar- 
rived there, the priest makes a young boy carry the basket 
of flowers on his head, himself also carrying some flowers 
and a winnowing-fan under his arm and a brass bowl 
filled with water in his hand, and thus they return to the 
village. 

Meanwhile the girls have placed a vessel of water, 
a foot-stool and an oil lamp in front of each house. At the 
first house a girl bathes the feet of the priest, and he 
gives her flowers and pours water on her. This is re- 
peated at every house throughout the village. 

The boys and girls of the village now have a grand 
row, throwing water upon each other, and even the old 
folks are tempted to take part in this proceeding. 

In the court-yard of the priest drinking and dancing 
and singing are indulged in until sunset. Then they move 
to the residence of the head-man and keep on dancing 


FAMILY GODS 


331 


for amusement until they have had enough and go home 
to sleep. 

The next day the field priest goes to the woods, ac- 
companied by the village messenger, and punctures him- 
self until he bleeds, for the purpose of sacrificing some of 
his own blood to the dead pargana. 

The family god receives one sacrifice a year, either in 
the spring or in the fall of the year. 

Every family has a god of its own. It is said that if a 
witch gets the better of a family god no member of the 
family affected thereby can be saved, but all of 
them must die. Therefore the family god is well fed. ‘Tf 
you appeal to him in times of danger he will deliver you,” 
it is said of this god. 

When sacrifices are made to this god only relatives 
are invited, and only the men are allowed to eat of the 
object sacrificed. The formula of prayer used in wor- 
shipping this god does not differ from those used in 
praying to the other gods. 

The boundary gods also receive annual sacrifices. 
'They are very severe, and if they are not satiated they 
kill very many. In a moment they produce snakes and 
tigers or cause sickness. Therefore we stand in great fear 
of them and make haste in sacrificing to them.” 

The rites observed in sacrificing to these gods are 
much more simple than those prescribed for other cases. 
The boundary gods are appealed to in this language: 
"Look out, ye boundary gods! I give and make over 


332 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


to you this in the name of reaping (or sowing). Let there 
be no sudden death or fright !” 

Only men are allowed to eat this sacrifice, and it must 
be consumed on the spot. It is claimed to be dangerous 
to take any of it into the house; for then the boundary 
gods will enter such a house and destroy every inmate of it. 

The above are the real annual festivals and sacrifices 
to the gods. 

A number of festivals have been borrowed from the 
Hindus. “But as these festivals are not ours, the San- 
thals should not observe them. We should not sacrifice 
to the gods of other races. It will only make our gods 
angry with us. It is like having two wives. You can 
satisfy neither of them. Great confusion also arises in re- 
gard to our gods. The Europeans are more fortunate, 
for they worship only one God, he who has made us.” 

No regular sacrifices are made to the day-god. These 
are the closing words of the prayer to him: “We cannot 
do it every year. Do not take offense on that account.” 

Our forefathers said that even poor people ought to 
sacrifice to the day-god once in their lives, and if they 
can afford it, they ought to sacrifice to him once every five 
or six years, or else he may cause trouble in the next 
world. 

“Since we contracted syphilis from the Hindus we have 
sacrificed to the day-god to be healed of it.” 


THIRTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 

Superstition.— Witches.- Have Many Pupils — “Eat** People.— The 
Devil Fooled.— Secrecy -Witch-Finders.— Ecstasy.— “The Evil Eye” — 
Digging up Gods.— The God ot The Parents-In-Law.— Exorcising Gods. 
— Santhal Faries. — Gods that Reveal Themselves. — Ghosts. — Names 
Must not Be Mentioned. 

‘‘Witches are the great torment of the Santhals. It is 
through witches that neighbors become enemies, that the 
doors of relatives are closed, that father and son quarrel, 
that brothers fall out, that husband and wife separate, and 
that the people of the country kill each other. If there 
were no witches we should be very comfortably situated. 

“The Europeans judge well in everything as far as 
they can see ; but we are utterly unable to explain how they 
can be so deluded in regard to witches. The witches eat 
us, and if we catch them and worry them a little the judges 
turn the tables on us and put us into prison. We are in 
great distress, and what shall we do to improve our con- 
dition? We are at our wits’ end. 

“Even if we explain the matter thoroughly to the 
judges they do not believe us. They say: ‘All right, 
we’ll see. Let her eat my finger. Then I’ll believe that 
she is a witch !’ And ofif they carry you to prison. 

[333] 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


334 


^'Witches do not eat with pot and knife, but by their 
sorcery they dispatch us to the other world.” 

Formerly the head-man checked them, and if they 
did not keep quiet, he, assisted by other officials, would 
chase them out of the village. But now-a-days the judges 
have made them brazen-faced, and we men are entirely 
powerless. 

A man’s word no longer has any weight. Woman is 
the supreme ruler in our age. Just make a slight objection 
to what she says and she will make a mouthful of you. 
For that reason you better submit and hold your tongue. 

‘The witches hold their meetings at njght in some 
forest or glen. Upon leaving they place a worn-out broom 
or some similar object on the beds alongside their hus- 
bands, and the latter, taking the brooms to be their wives, 
have no idea that their wives are away playing with the 
gods. 

“It is said that they do not walk on the ground, but 
climb some tree, from which they start off like the wind 
by means of their sorcery. 

“They dance with the gods on their play-ground ; sum- 
mon tigers, which they carress and kiss ; and assume con- 
trol of the gods by making them swear that they will not 
manifest themselves when invoked by somebody. They 
continue this game until cock-crow, when they return 
home. 

“The witches make numerous pupils, enticing 


HAVE MANY PUPILS 335 

even young girls in order that somebody may continue the 
practice after they themselves are dead. 

‘They walk about at night with a light and, entering 
people’s houses, wake up young girls to make pupils of 
them. If the girls will not consent they tell them : ‘If 
you don’t learn you must die, or tigers will eat you!’ 
Thus the girls are scared into learning witchcraft. 

“The witch, with a broom in her hand and a winnow- 
ing-fan under her arm, conducts her pupils to the sacred 
grove, where they sacrifice a fowl to the gods, prepare 
a meal and eat. 

“The witches teach their pupils to caress tigers, and 
when they have taught them the customary incantations 
they order them, by way of a final examination, to eat 
their father or oldest brother. If the pupils refuse to do 
this the witches make them ill or mad. 

“By means of a kind of grass they pick the liver and the 
lungs out of people, boil them and let their pupils eat 
them. This puts an end to the compassion of the pupils. 

“If they become angry they will eat their own children, 
fathers and brothers, nay, they will devour even their own 
husbands. 

“It is told that some witches were in the habit of wak- 
ing two boys every day and taking them to the sacred 
grove to beat the drum. 

“One day the witches removed the liver and the lungs 
of a boy, and, taking these and a jar of liquor and provisions 
and cooking utensils with them from the same house to the 


336 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


sacred grove, they boiled the liver and the lungs and gave 
them to the boys to eat. But the boys concealed them in 
the folds of their clothes and only drank some liquor. 

‘‘Next morning the boy who had been deprived of his 
liver and lungs was seized with cramps, and people said 
he was doomed to die. When the two boys saw this they 
felt sorry for him and told his relatives to lay hold of 
such and such women, and th^ boy would get well. This 
was done, the wives of the head-man and his assistant 
and some other respectable women being summoned. 

“The women made no confession but began to indulge 
in abusive language. Their husbands became furious and 
said to the boys: ‘Prove their guilt or we'll make you 
suffer !' 

“Then the boys untied their clothes before the eyes of 
all and produced what had been given them, saying : ‘This 
will prove their guilt !' Now both the witches and their 
husbands were silenced. 

“Then the pargana was sent for. He said : ‘Bring me 
a battle-ax !' When one had been handed him he said to 
the witches: ‘Cure him, or we'll cut you down! He 
will be the corpse, you the fire-wood.' The witches were 
thoroughly frightened and cured the boy. Witches who 
would not make their victims well again have often been 
slain. 

“If the head-man's or his assistant's wife is a witch it 
is very difficult to prove it, her husband being unwilling to 
admit it. 


'‘EAP’ PEOPLE 


337 

‘‘Long ago, they say, a medicine-man accused the wives 
of the head-man and his assistant of being witches, and 
they said to him : ‘If you don’t prove your 
charge your head will drop.’ He answered: ‘One day 
I’ll demonstrate it before your eyes,’ and they kept quiet. 

“One evening the medicine-man took a bow and ar- 
row with him and went to the sacred grove, where he 
climbed a tree and lay in wait. About ten o’clock the 
women whom he had suspected of witchcraft came and 
began to dance. Then one of them passed into a state of 
ecstasy, and they called for a tiger and whistled. Two 
tigers soon put in their appearance. While the women 
were caressing and kissing the tigers the man in the tree 
shot an arrow into the biggest tiger. The animal, sup- 
posing that the women had played him a trick, became 
furiously angry and killed all of the witches. Then the 
man knocked the remaining tiger over with an arrow and 
went home. 

“Next morning the men missed their wives and went 
from house to house asking for them. When they came 
to the medicine-man he said that he had seen the women 
go to the sacred grove late in the evening. A search was 
made, and the dead and mutilated bodies of the women 
were found in the sacred grove, and two dead tigers 
close by. In a short while the neighbors were gathered, 
and the medicine-man told them everything. From that 
time onward we have believed in witches. 

“Our fathers told us that the devil intended to teach 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


338 

the men witchcraft, but that the women by means of 
treachery learnt the art first. 

‘‘One day, it is said, the men held a meeting to de.- 
liberate in regard to what was to be done to their scolding 
wives. 

“They said : ‘We are men ; but how is it that our words 
carry no weight? If we say a word or two to the women 
they begin to vituperate us. We can endure this no lon- 
ger.’ 

“They finally agreed to go to the devil and consult 
him. Maybe he knew of some magic by which they 
could subdue their recalcitrant wives. 

“At midnight they assembled to have a talk with the 
devil, appealing to him in the following terms : ‘Come here, 
grand-father! We are in great distress, and we have come 
to you for aid.’ 

“The devil soon appeared and asked them, ‘What is 
the matter, my grand-children?’ 

“Then they told him about their troubles and entreated 
him to teach them some magic by which they might curb 
their women. 

“ ‘All right,’ said the devil, ‘I’ll show you what to do. 
But first you must write your names on these leaves with 
your own blood.’ 

“Upon hearing this they were so frightened that they 
said they would return the next day. 

“But their wives had come secretly and had heard and 
seen everything without being detected themselves. And 


THE DEVIL FOOLED 


339 


the women said : This is the way our husbands are going 
to treat us, is it? Before we were married they followed 
us like dogs everywhere, and now that we are growing 
old they think we are too mean and ugly, and are thinking 
of killing us. Well, we shall see who are going to be in 
a position to do the killing.’ Returning home by a short 
path, they made up their minds in regard to what was to 
be done, 

‘^Upon returning home the men found their wives in 
such a sweet and amiable mood that they began to reason 
thus: 'Perhaps our wives have reformed so that we do 
not need to return and pledge ourselves to grand-father.’ 

"Next day the women were still kinder and lovelier. 
They gave their husbands the best food obtainable and in 
the evening plied them with liquor until they were dead 
drunk. 

"Then the women assembled, donned their husbands’ 
clothes, pasted goat-skin on the upper lip and set out to 
meet the devil in the forest. 'Come quickly, grand-father ! 
Our wives worry us night and day !’ they shouted. 

"The devil appeared at once, and they said to him: 
'Fetch your leaves and we will sign our marks, for we 
can no longer endure the torments caused by our wives’.” 

The devil produced his leaves, and all the women punc- 
tured themselves and wrote their husbands’ marks on the 
leaves. The devil then taught them what to do and gave 
them full authority to eat people, and they returned home 
smiling. 


340 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


“The men did not rise early the next morning. They 
turned this way and that way in bed and rubbed their 
eyes, and when they finally awoke they understood that 
the women had not become meek after all. The men 
assembled for consultation and agreed to return to the 
devil, and when he again appeared to them in the night 
they said: ‘Teach us, O, father, for the women torment 
us abominably’. 

“Being surprised at hearing this, the devil said : ‘What? 
I have taught you already. What do you want this time?’ 

“ ’Where and when did you teach us?’ they all asked 
with one accord. ‘We have not been here since that day’. 

“ ‘Of course I have taught you. Come here and look 
at your marks.’ When the men saw the marks they had 
to admit that the devil was right. But they had never 
written those marks. Some one else must have done it. 

“Then the devil rested his head on his hand and pon- 
dered until he concluded that the women had deceived 
both himself and their hus!)ands. 

“Flying into a rage, the devil said: ‘Well, put down 
your names quickly. We shall yet get even with those 
rascally women !’ 

“They made their marks and he taught them how 
to become medicine-men and witch-finders, thereby en- 
abling them to detect witches and punish them. Since 
that time there has been enmity between the witches on the 
one hand and the medicine-men and the witch-finders on 
the other. 


WITCH-FINDERS 


341 


‘‘But the medicine-men and the witch-finders cannot 
get the upper hand of the witches, for the latter can easily 
control the gods, making it difficult to detect the guilty 
parties. The witch-finder is often deceived and induced 
to prefer charges against innocent people. 

“We have certainly learned to become medicine-men 
from Kamru. Long, long ago his country and ours were 
contiguous, so our forefathers told us. 

“The medicine-men worship the gods by anointing 
a leaf with oil; they scatter rice, bite, or extract poison, 
dig up gods, exorcise gods and give people medicine. 

“When a sick person cannot be cured by means of 
medicine a medicine-man is sent for to invoke the gods. 
He sits down and pours oil on two sal-leaves, which he 
rubs together, meanwhile repeating a certain charm. 
Then he puts the leaves down for a short while, and as 
he opens them he is asked what he sees. 

“According to the accumulation of the oil on this or 
that part of the leaves he is supposed to be able to tell 
whether the sickness is caused by a witch or a house-god, 
what kind of sickness it is, what kind of poison the patient 
has taken etc. 

“If the sickness is due to a witch the head-man and 
the other officials walk from house to house in the evening 
and shout : ‘Look out ! Such and such a person is sick ; 
let him recover! We have detected you. If he does not 
get well again, so much the worse for you!’ 

“If the sick person recovers, well and good ; but other- 


342 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


wise the head-man sends out several men to divine with 
oil in different directions. In the evening they return 
and report on their work separately. If witches have been 
detected in three different directions, twigs are fixed in the 
ground to determine which is the guilty one. 

‘Tf the anointed leaf shows that the sickness is due to 
the house-god the patient is instructed to appease his god, 
and he promises to serve him faithfully if he recovers. 

^Tf an outside god is implicated the medicine-man 
scatters rice to him and begs him to leave the place and 
stay where he belongs. In the same manner he passes 
from god to god through the whole series, entreating them 
to keep away from the house so the sick man may have a 
chance to get well. 

‘The medicine-man also collects roots and prepares 
medicines which he gives the sick person to drink, and if 
the sickness is due to poison he applies his mouth and 
sucks it out. 

“If the sick person recovers the medicine-man receives 
some fowls for his trouble. 

“If the medicine-man can neither find the witch nor in 
any manner cure the patient, a jan, or witch-finder, is sent 
for. 

“The jans constitute the supreme court in regard to 
witches. Whomsoever they pronounce a witch can find no 
defender whether she is proven to be a witch or not. We 
are positively certain that they know it, for the devil has 
given them full authority in regard to witches. And we 


WITCHES 


343 


test them too, as to whether they really are inspired by 
a god. 

^When medicines cannot cure a sick person we let the 
medicine-man divine for him ; then we stick twigs into the 
ground; and if that does not help either we send for 
a jan.’’ 

The head-man and two of the relatives of the sick per- 
son go to the witch-finder, taking five or six witnesses with 
them. They do not go directly to him but stop outside. 
Nor do they tell to a single soul from what village they are 
coming, what their names are or for what illness they want 
a remedy. On the contrary, they turn to the head-man 
of the village and say : ''Let the teacher divine for us.’’ 

The head-man now takes them to the witch-finder and 
makes them produce the needful things for divination, 
namely, a leaf-cup, some sun-dried rice, oil, red paint etc. 

The witch-finder tells them to return in so and so many 
hours. Meanwhile they go to their lodging without talk- 
ing to anybody. 

"At the appointed hour they return to the witch-finder, 
sit down in front of him and look at all the weird rites 
which he performs. Finally he begins to shiver and pro- 
nounce single words. He first gives the names of their 
country and of their village, then he tells how the village 
street lies and names the head-man, the sick person, his 
uncles, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.” 

Then he asks them:^ "^Well, gentlemen, are my state- 


344 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


merits correct?’' They answer: ''Everything is correctly 
stated. We believe. Now explain to us.” 

The jan continues: "Deposit the fees, and I will tell 
you.” They give him one rupee. 

Having told them what the cause of the illness is, he 
advises them to consult seven other prophets, *and if they 
tell a different story he will refund the money. 

If a god is proven to be at the bottom of the illness the 
sick person must promise him a sacrifice ; if witches, they 
are plagued and punished and chased out of the village. 

"Now-a-days the jans are great cheats. They are not 
so reliable as the upright jans of former days. Formerly 
men did not learn to become jans, it came to them of itself. 
They did not use to tremble, but they got it through 
dreams at night or in visions in the day-time.' Gods ap- 
peared to them and told them that so and so would come 
to them in such and such an errand, and they received their 
answers beforehand. 

"Now-a-days there are no such jans. Most of them 
cheat and blackmail people only for the sake of money. 
Therefore they keep spies, and those who have no spies 
feel their way along as they prophesy. They give one-half 
of a name and look at their customers to see if they are on 
the right track, and if not they try over again. 

"Jans who keep spies can easily find out everything. 
When such a jan makes a mistake he will say: 'Gentlemen, 
there is a secret hindrance which you must let us remove.’ 
Then the jan instructs them to sacrifice to the gods, and 


ECSTASY 


345 


his spy performs the rites. The latter asks in whose name 
the sacrifice is to be made. They may safely tell the’ name, 
for he shall not go to the jan, and they let the officiating 
spy know everything. When he has finished the sacrifices 
he goes home and tells it to his wife. The latter gives 
the information to the jan’s wife and she, of course, to her 
husband, completing a system of cheating.’’ 

I have already spoken of men who occasionally pass 
into a state of ecstasy. In case of sickness or pain 
we are also in the habit of having men become ecstatic so 
that they may consult the gods. 

‘^When a man works himself into an ecstasy he begins 
to tremble, and the god speaks through his mouth.” 

Then we say to the god: ‘‘You see, our lord, that we 
have sickness in our house, and we do not know what we 
may have overlooked. Show us that, and also show us a 
v/ay out of the whole difficulty, our lord and god.” 

Then the subject tells what god has taken possession 
of the sick person, and the people answer: “Now we 
know who you are. At the flower or harvest festival we 
will give you a generous sacrifice if you only will depart 
and take this illness and pain with you. llet him get quite 
well, so that he asks for food. But do not disappoint us.” 
Then they ask the god to withdraw, and the man through 
whom he has spoken comes to his senses again. 

Our fathers said that those who worked themselves 
into a real ecstasy became unconscious and could remem- 
ber nothing of what took place. But those who become 


346 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


ecstatic in our day remember everything. Perhaps they 
are like the modern cheats of jans. They now work them- 
selves into an ecstasy to cheat people and to get good 
liquor. 

One man said that when he worked himself up he was 
aware of everything that occurred and that by such deceit 
he often obtained good liquor. He said : “If I do not get 
fine liquor at a festival I always devise some scheme to 
make people give me some anyway. I say to myself that I 
will pose as the dead head-man, and I fall into a trance. 

‘When people ask me who I am, I answer, ‘The dead 
chief.’ Then they take me to their houses, bathe my feet 
in a brass bowl, place me on a chair and give me a bowl 
of their best liquor. When I have had a bowl or two of 
liquor I come to again. In this way I have cheated the 
people out of liquor in many villages. At the harvest festi- 
val I would watch them closely to see whether they made 
any omission, and some time afterwards I would appear 
among them as one possessed of a god and would tell them 
that I was the dead chief who had come to remind them 
of their negligence. Then they would entreat me not to do 
them any harm. It was their fault, and they wished me to 
make it right for them. They would finally give me an 
extra bowl of liquor.” 

This man now lives m Benagaria and is well known 
to everybody. 

The “evil eye” is one of our afflictions. Women cast 
an evil eye from envy and spite. When they see some one 


V 


DIGGING UP GODS 


347 


getting along very well they -say: '‘Nothing happens to 
so and so. They always get fine crops and never have any 
trouble.’’ 

These words of theirs stick, and the people spoken of 
get sick, their cattle die, and they get lots of trouble. 

On this account we Santhals, however sagacious we 
may be, and however skilful we may be in our work, do not 
work too hard. We will rather put up with poverty than 
be a mark for the evil eye. 

It is also dangerous to let such a woman see you while 
you are eating ; for afterwards you will either vomit or have 
copious diarrhoea. 

Sometimes the witches place gods in our houses or in 
our stables to the end that the inmates may die. 

In such a case we fetch a medicine-man from elsewhere, 
one who knows about digging up gods — some medicine- 
men have not learnt this art. 

The medicine-man first awaits a revelation to find 
out where the god is buried, and when this has been as- 
certained he proceeds to dig him up. 

We have seen a god dug up in this way. Deposited 
gods are of two kinds. One is a white stone wrapped up 
in hair, the other is an empty silk-worm’s cocoon filled 
with all kinds of cultivated crop seeds and a white stone 
covered with red paint. 

The sick person sometimes gets better, sometimes 
worse when the god has been dug up. 


348 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


When a god is to be dug up it is necessary to sacrifice 
a ram, a pig, a goat, five fowls and a pair of pigeons. 

The fee of the medicine-man is one rupee and four 
annas, and if the patient recovers completely before the end 
of the year the medicine-man receives five rupees and a 
pair of trousers. 

When the god of the wife’s parents follows her to 
her husband’s house the people in that house will take sick 
and die unless he is sent back. The son-in-law must return 
not only everything that he received from his wife’s house, 
but he must also take sacrifices to the house of his father- 
in-law when he brings the god back. 

When these gods are exasperated they become terribly 
bloodthirsty. Therefore the Santhals sacrifice to them 
purely from fear, or they send them back to their parents- 
in-law. 

To exorcise gods requires many things, otherwise the 
gods will not stir. It is occasionally found necessary to 
exorcise wealth-giving gods. 

These gods make their worshippers very wealthy. Eut 
if they are in an ugly mood they kill right and left, and 
so people must exorcise them to save themselves. 

When medicine-men or witch-finders have proved that 
a wealth-giving god has begun to do injury the necessary 
things are collected, namely: A piece of silk cloth, a 
small box of red paint, a tassel, an iron hairpin, a flat bas- 
ket, an iron bar, five chairs, five nails, a pair of wooden 
shoes, a wooden footstool, a buqdle of straw of every kind 


EXORCISING GODS 


349 


of grain cultivated, five rupees^ two cows, a pig, a goat, a 
ram and five fowls. A bell is hung on the ram. All these 
things and more must be at hand. 

When these objects have been collected the medicine- 
man is sent for. He procures a man who works himself 
into an ecstasy and impersonates the god. 

Then the medicine-man says to him: “Well, my lord, 
your master is tired of serving you, and "he will keep you 
no longer. What have you to say?” 

Then the god gives a grunt and says: “If he does 
not want me I’ll go. Let him give me what belongs to me.” 

Then the above mentioned objects are placed before 
him, and the medicine-man says : “There is your property. 
Are you satisfied?” 

“Satisfied,” he answers. 

Then he enters the cow-shed and points out two cows, 
and when he returns he is asked whether he has received 
everything. 

“Everything,” he answers. 

Then the sliding-bars of the gate are opened, and the 
two cows walk out. The cows are afterwards tied together 
with a rope. 

The impersonator now becomes himself again. The 
two cows are allowed to go wherever they please, and the 
people follow them, carrying with them the many things 
belonging to the god. 

Wherever the cows stop and lie down, there the sacri- 
fices are made. The head of the ram is nailed to a tree 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


35 ^ 

but the meat is eaten. The other things are abandoned 
there, and if any one touches them the wealth-giving god 
will follow him. 

The man who chased away his god will be reduced to 
poverty before the end of the year. His cows and oxen 
will perish, and his crops will take unto themselves wings 
and fly away. He and his will be reduced to beggary. 
There have been eye-witnesses to this. Unrighteous wealth 
will not stay long. 

The Santhals are very much afraid of being spirited 
away by the gods. They both carry off people and make 
things vanish. 

There are girl goddesses that spirit away Santhal boys. 
Some of them live in the water, others in caves in the hills. 
They are said to be very fond of Santhal boys, hence they 
carry them off to make them their husbands. Both in the 
water and in the hills they live in royal palaces. They 
give the boys delicious food, but if the boys bring any of 
it back to this world it is immediately turned into earth. 

In olden days Santhal boys had children by these god- 
desses. Such a girl goddess once ran into the house of a 
Santhal boy, that is, she compelled him to marry her. 
They lived together a long time and had children. When 
she ran in to him, she said: ‘Tf we should ever quarrel 
you may beat me with anything, but take care never to kick 
me.’’ When they had had two or three children the girl 
goddess was suckling her baby at the door of the cow-shed 
while the boy was milking a cow. Somehow she let the 


GHOSTS 


351 


baby scream, and the boy became angry and kicked her. 
On that very day she disappeared, and all efforts on the 
part of the boy to induce her to return to this world were 
in vain. 

Girl goddesses who marry Santhal boys will do all kinds 
of work except carrying cow-dung from the stable; nor 
will they eat salt. 

Many boys who were spirited away by girl goddesses 
have returned both from the water and from the caves in 
the hills. Some of them are still living. 

The girl goddesses are said to have their feet turned the 
wrong way, the toes pointing backward. 

We have seen gods appear in tangible form. But if one 
keeps on staring at them they gradually fade away. You 
cannot touch them with your hands as in the case of other 
gods. But they can speak. When some one has done any- 
thing amiss the gods appear and tell him that he must 
make amends, otherwise he will fare ill. 

We believe in ghosts and goblins and many other 
things. 

We believe, for instance, that husband and wife must 
not call each other by their names, for if they do their 
children will be deaf. 

It is said that married couples and their older brothers- 
in-law and sisters-in-law must not mention the name of 
each other, or else their dead bodies will not burn when 
placed on the funeral pyre. 

Husband and wife never pronounce each other’s name; 
they call each other father or mother of such and such a 
child if they have any. 


THIRTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 


Death.— Burning of The Dead.— The Bones — Comfort the Surviv- 
ors —Purification. — The Sacred River.— Final Obsequies. — The other 
World. 

When some one dies our women weep very much. 
They wail and moan and beat their breasts and dash their 
foreheads against the ground. 

When the mother dies they cry : ^‘Alas ! alas ! my milk- 
tree has fallen! Where shall I go to see my milk-tree 
again? Alas! alas! she covered us with her wings as a 
hen her chickens. But to-day, mother, you have shaken 
the dust off your feet like the hen and forsaken us, your 
chickens. Alas ! alas ! when we had been away and returned 
home again, our mother would sit in the doorway to meet 
us and caress us like canary birds.’’ 

When the father dies they cry in like manner : "‘Alas ! 
alas ! the author of our being has forsaken us to-day. In 
what direction am I to go to see the form of the author of 
my being again?” 

When a husband dies his widow will say: ’’Alas! 
alas! my bread-winner has been wafted away! Where 
shall I go to see the form of my bread-winner again? 
[352I 




CREMATION. 


353 


Alas! alas! for my pigeon mate! Our pigeon pair has 
been broken up ! Where shall I go to see my pigeon mate 
again?’’ 

When a child dies, its mother cries: ‘'Alas! alas! 
my parrot has flown away! In what direction shall I go 
to see the form of my parrot again?” 

In all possible ways they manifest their hearts’ sorrow. 
Nothing has been learnt by heart. Everything is 
governed by the impulse of the moment, and they give vent 
to their feelings in songs of lamentation. 

When a person dies his body is cremated on the same 
day. 

The death is reported to the head-man, and he instructs 
the village messenger to ask the people to convene at the 
house of the deceased. 

The women of that house grind saffron and fry cotton- 
seed and rice. 

They catch a fowl, apply fire to a piece of straw rope, 
pull out some thatching-grass from the eaves of the house 
and then arrange the fried cotton-seed and the rice and the 
grass and the fowl on an old winnowing-fan. On the 
bed of the deceased they place his different belongings, 
namely, clothes, a brass cup, money, a battle-ax, a sword, 
bow and arrow, a stick, a flute, in short, all his instru- 
ments. 

Thereupon four men enter the house, raise the bed 
with the corpse and the objects mentioned above and 


354 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


carry it to the parting of the roads at the end of the village 
street, where they let the bed stand for a while. 

Now the women anoint the body of the deceased with 
oil and saffron, make a red streak on its forehead and drop 
JSL hand-full of the fried cotton-seed and rice at each of the 
four legs of the bedstead. 

The medicine-man exorcises the dead man with the 
fowl; the women return home; and the men carry the 
corpse to the place of cremation, which is located on the 
bank of a river or a pond. 

A pyre is made out of wood, and the next of kin wash 
the feet and hands and face of the deceased and pour a 
little water into his mouth. The corpse is carried three 
times around the pyre and deposited thereon, the head 
pointing to the south, and all the clothes and instruments 
that were placed on his bed are removed. 

The medicine-man exorcises with the fowl three times 
around the pyre and finally nails it to one of the posts of 
the pyre. 

The next of kin performs a lot of ceremonies, and a 
piece of fire-wood is thrown upon the pyre by each of the 
relatives, and afterwards by each of the villagers. 

Then they say : ‘‘There ! now each of us has given you 
a piece of fire-wood. Do not keep us long, but be off like 
the wind 

Then fire is applied to the pyre all around, and the men 
withdraw and sit down together a little distance off. 

While the body is burning one man shaves them all, 


COMFORT THE SURVIVORS 


355 

and when he has finished this'task water is poured on the 
pyre until the fire is extinguished. 

The next of kin gathers the bones, washes them and 
puts them into an earthen jar. 

Now-a-days we are so far from the sacred river, and we 
only put three pieces of the skull and the collar bone into 
a small earthen vessel. A hole is made through the cover 
of the vessel for the dead man to breathe, and a piece of 
a certain grass is put into this hole so that the dead man 
may climb in and out thereby. 

The other bones, the ashes and the charcoal are thrown 
into the water , and those engaged in this sing a certain 
song during the operation. 

The winnowing-fan is placed upside down in the middle 
of the place where the corpse was burnt, A man mixes 
cow-dung with water in a brass bowl and sprinkles the 
place with it, and on top of this is scattered whatever re- 
mains of the cotton-seed and the fried rice. 

The earthen vessel containing the bones of the deceased 
is buried near the end of the village street. 

Then they all go to the water to bathe, and when this 
is done they again convene outside the village. 

They sell all the things that were sent with the dead 
man and buy a sheep or goat, which they kill and eat; 
but the people of the house where the death occurred do 
not partake of this meal. 

In the evening the old men of the village go to the 
house where the death took place, to comfort the relatives 


356 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


of the deceased, saying : Do not keep on mourning. He 
is gone, and it is well with him. We too shall go some day. 
By constant weeping the body will suffer. There are the 
land-lords, the money-brokers, your friends and relatives, 
your own body and soul. As long as we live we must 
have something to eat and drink. Go on with your work, 
for if you go on weeping all day long it will be like blows 
from a stick on the head of the departed one. Let them 
tell him in the other world: ‘^Dance, my good fellow, 
they are singing to you ! Do not grieve beyond measure, 
or you will make life a burden to him too.’’ 

Five days after the funeral a purification takes place. 

The people of the house make three rice cakes, and the 
people of the village take a bath. They take with them 
some grayish clay, oil-cake, oil, three tooth-brushes and 
three or four leaves. The women go to a different spot. 

At the bathing-place the men divide the clay and the 
oil-cake among the three leaves and put a tooth-brush on 
each. 

Then they sacrifice to the gods, saying: ^‘Here, de- 
parted one! to-day we are bathing and anointing ourselves 
with clay for purification. Do thou likewise !” 

They also sacrifice to the first man and woman, using 
the same formula and adding: ^Take the deceased under 
your protection, and do not leave him out in the cold !” 

Finally they sacrifice to the devil, entreating him too 
to protect the departed. 


THE SACRED RIVER 


357 


Afterwards the villagers assemble at the house of the 
deceased to invoke him. 

Three men work themselves into an ecstasy, one of them 
impersonating the deceased and the others his dead father 
and the devil. 

When the men are under the spell the villagers ask 
them: ^'Well, our lords, tell us who you are, and then 
we shall know what gods to worship.” 

One of the men grunts that he is the father of the de- 
ceased, the other that he is the devil. The third man 
does not answer. Then they sprinkle water on him, wash 
his face and slap him on the back until he begins to grunt. 
They now ask him: ^‘Well, our lord, tell us who you are 
who have come to us.” 

‘Tt is I who was dead and gone,” he answers. 

The people place rice before the three gods and say to 
them: Here, our lords, is some rice. Now consult and 
declare the matter to us who are without eyes and ears.” 

Having deliberated among themselves, they put away 
the rice and, upon being asked, the deceased answers : ‘T 
was tired of life;” or, if witches devoured him he says: 
‘There was no room for me in people’s eyes, and so I went 
away.” 

“Do you want water?” 

“Yes, I do.” Now every person in the village must 
give him water, and they give all the gods liquor. 

Then they say to the deceased: “Well, we will take 
you to the sacred river. Let no misfortune fefall us.” 


358 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


“Very well,” he answers. “Nothing will interfere. You 
w;ill go like the wind and come like the wind.” 

The men come to again. 

A bag is made out of the clothes of the deceased, and 
into this are put a package of rolled rice, two pounds of 
ordinary rice and three cakes. These things are taken to 
the end of the street. The women bring out water and 
saffron. 

Three men go to fetch the preserved bones. When 
they have dug them up they set fire to the site of the grave 
and shout : “The old hut is burning, hurrah !” 

They cut down and bring with them three short 
wooden sticks, which they tie together and on which they 
place the earthen vessel containing the bones. The bones 
are taken out, and the women pour pure water, saffron 
water and milk on them. The people step back, and the 
next of kin puts the bones into the bag. 

The earthen vessel is smashed, and the three men carry 
the bones beyond the boundary of the village. The other 
men bathe and go to the house of the deceased to drink 
liquor. 

In the evening a series of rites is performed with the 
feet and wings of a fowl which is finally cooked and eaten. 
At the parting of the roads an imitation house is built, into 
which they throw one leg and one wing of the fowl, and to 
which they finally set fire, shouting, “The old hut is burn- 
ing, hurrah!” 

The three men bring the bones back from the village 


THE SACRED RIVER 


359 

limits and place them in a new earthen vessel which they 
put aside. 

Those who live near the sacred river bring the bones 
there on the day when the body is cremated. Some take 
the bones there after a month, others after five months, and 
those who live far away carry them there after two or three 
years. 

People from two or three villages go together when 
they carry the bones of the dead to the sacred river. 

Having arrived at the river, the next of kin takes the 
bones in his hand, wades out into deep water and, 
facing the rising sun, dives and drops the bones, which are 
carried away by the current. Then he returns to the shore 
and changes clothes. 

Having sacrificed to the gods, he invokes the deceased, 
saying : ^^Greeting, dead and departed one ! Now you see 
I have carried you to the sacred river. I have anointed 
myself with clay and have bathed. Now I wish you to do 
likewise.’’ 

Then he sacrifices to Adam and Eve and to the father 
of the deceased, who are entreated to take the deceased 
under their protection in the future. 

The party, upon returning to the village, first go to the 
house of the deceased to drink liquor before they part and 
go to their several homes. 

The final obsequies yet remain. The object of these is 
to expiate all shortcomings of the deceased. 

On the appointed day the relatives of the deceased and 


360 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the villagers assemble and bathe, and in the evening they 
invoke their forefathers and the devil, who are imperson- 
ated in the usual way. 

They say to the impersonators: ^‘Now, our lords, 
today we are going to give to the deceased what belongs 
to him. Do you, his father, and do you, devil, listen?” 

^'Very well,” they reply. 

The dead man is spoken to thus: ‘Well, then, to-day 
we give you your share. Be glad and accept it !” 

“Very well!” 

Water and liquor are now given to the impersonators, 
and they come to again. 

In the court-yard a twig of a sal-tree is stuck into the 
ground, and the ground around this is smeared with cow- 
dung. A plate of rice is placed on the ground, and an 
animal whose ear was cut before the trip was made to the 
sacre<l river, is sacrificed. 

The deceased is addressed thus: “Take this, which is 
your share ! Rejoice in it, and be great, my lord and god !” 
All the relatives and villagers sacrifice animals which they 
have brought with them. On this occasion the sacrifices 
are all made to the deceased, but libations of liquor are 
made to his father and the devil. 

Of the animal first killed, a shoulder piece, the head, 
the liver and the lungs are cut out and taken to the owner 
of the house. A jar of liquor, some rice, saffron, salt, to- 
bacco, sal-leaves, wooden sticks and water and an iron 
spoon are taken to the court-yard. The owner of the 


FINAL OBSEQUIES. 


361 

house takes the shoulder-piece, the leading villagers being 
seated around him, and now they narrate the whole story 
about the countries in which their forefathers lived and 
about their institutions. They close by repeating a long 
rigmarole to the effect that they are prosperous under their 
new chief, that the departure of the deceased was due to 
no fault of his, that though they were black as ravens he 
has made them white as rice etc. 

The owner of the house makes a stew of the head, 
liver and lungs of the animal first killed and sacrifices it 
to the deceased, saying: ^'Greeting, So and So! We offer 
you this miserable food, but we entreat you to accept it 
willingly and cheerfully! We too shall eat; let no mis- 
fortune arise, our lord and god !'’ 

They repeat the same formula to every one of the fore- 
fathers that they remember. 

A big meal is prepared from the animals and the rice, 
and big and little partake of the meal and go to sleep. • 

Next morning the relatives are sent away. They take 
the above mentioned shoulder-piece with them. If the 
parents-in-lav attend the obsequies they receive the body 
of a goat, some rice, liquor, salt and oil. 

After the departure of the relatives, the head-man and 
the leading villagers are summoned. Liquor is given to 
them. The barber receives the neck of the animal first 
killed, some rice, saffron, liquor, salt and tobacco. 

It is believed that the animals killed at such obsequies 


362 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


go to the deceased, who in the other world drives them 
before him wherever he goes. 

Our old forefathers said: “God has sent us to this 
world, and he has himself appointed us our measure. 
When that measure is filled he takes us to the other world. 
Then he judges over our good and bad deeds and gives 
us a place accordingly. Good people get a good place 
there, and bad ones a bad place. Gods and demons have 
no authority over good people, but those who were bad 
they afflict terribly. 

“When I was in the Pandra country, in the village of 
Asonlea, I fell, ill and was dead for three days. The two 
old men, Budhan and Jugia, of the village of Chitragaria 
(close to Ebenezer) were in said village at that time, 
and they know about it. 

’’After dying I went to the other world, to the bad 
place. There was a great big entrance to the prison, and 
when I had entered the door was shut. I saw a tremen- 
dous house, as big as a whole country. 

“I saw different places of torment. I saw a canal like 
a big ditch, which was full of fire, and an innumerable mul- 
titude of people were thrown into that canal of fire. They 
tried to scramble out of it, but the devil poked them back 
again with a fish-spear, whereby their affliction was in- 
creased. 

“Just then the door was opened, and a new man was 
taken in. Good heavens ! I saw a thin thread stretching 
away from my body to the outside! I took hold of that 


THE OTHER WORLD 


363 


thread and, going hand over hand under their legs, I passed 
out. I escaped ! I ran as fast as I could and returned to 
the world. I was saved 

People say that whatever .sin a person has been ad- 
dicted to in this world he tries hard to commit in the next 
world, but fails to do it, thereby increasing his torments. 

Those who in this world are very greedy for meat 
rnlust, it is claimed, carry offensively smelling meat on 
their heads the whole day without being able to eat any 
of it. 

Those who do not pay their debts in this world are 
dunned for them in the other world, and as they have noth- 
ing wherewith to pay, their creditors flay the skin off their 
backs and rub salt in the fresh wounds. When the woundi^ 
are healed this process is repeated. 


THIRTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 


The Rebellion.— In The Clutches of Money-Lenders. — All Kinds of 
Rumors. — Breaking Out of the Rebellion.— Leaders Delivered to The 
Enemy. — Suffering and Hardships. — Under European Supremacy. 

Driven by poverty and by the Bengalis, who never 
seized plaguing us, we crossed the Adjae river and gradu- 
ally spread over the hilly country to the north and east 
until we reached the Ganges in that direction. 

At that time the whole country was timbered; 
but there was a sparse population of Bhunjas (a certain 
Hindu caste) and Mai Paharias (hill-men). These were the 
lords of the soil. They allowed us to settle in peace, and 
collected only a small rent from us. We suffered no dis- 
tress under them. 

But by degrees the Bengalis came into the country as 
traders and finally settled down as money-lenders. Our 
landlords also borrowed money from them, taking money 
and clothes and mortgaging their land in return. In this 
manner the country passed into the hands of the money- 
lenders, and the real owners became as poor as ourselves. 

We cleared the country at our own expense and made 
the ground tillable. To accomplish this we borrowed 
[364] 


ALL KINDS OF RUMORS 


365 


money from the money-brokers, who afterwards raised the 
land-rent. They give us little but take much in return. In 
the fall they carry away all our crops, and we use our 
time in running still deeper into debt. No matter how 
much we pay, there is always some debt left. If the 
year’s crops do not suffice they drive our cattle off ; and if 
even that does not satisfy them they compel us and our 
women and children to work as slaves for them, receiving 
as pay only a handful of grain. There were no magistrates 
in those days. To whom should we complain? 

Afterwards the Bengali police arrived among us. But 
they, having been bribed by their countrymen, simply dis- 
missed our suits. Our distress was great. The whole 
country was harassed. 

Then all kinds of rumors were set afloat. The first one 
was to the effect that enormous serpents would come and 
swallow the people. 

To avert this danger the people of five villages would 
purify themselves and walk about to five other villages in 
the course of the night. 

One man from each house in five villages came to our 
village. They danced about to the beating of drums in 
front of the head-man’s house. They had tied cow-bells 
to their wrists, making a tremendous noise when they 
moved their bodies. 

The people of the five villages assembled at one place 
and made sacrifices to a god in the name of the great 
serpent. 


366 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Then we in like manner went about to five villages, re- 
peating the same racket. 

Coming home we men threw away the dung from the 
cow-sheds, a task which belongs to the women. 

During our absence our women did not put their feet 
on the ground. They placed some cow-dung near the 
bed and rested their feet on this while they suckled their 
babies. 

Afterwards word was sent around that every two 
women who had an equal number of children should 
exchange flowers in token of intimate friendship. They 
should also give each other a cloth and eat and drink to- 
gether. 

I do not know the reason for this. But I fancy that 
the aim of it was to unite the people in mutual friendship 
and confidence in case of a rebellion or war. 

According to another rumor a female buffalo was 
coming. If she found grass in front of the door of a 
house she would graze on it, lie down and not get up again 
until every soul in that house was dead. For fear of 
this the people throughout the whole country exterminated 
every vestige of grass from the village streets. 

At another time a leader was said to have been born of 
a virgin in the Lago Fort, east of Hazaribagh, and every 
one had to go there to hunt. Some men obeyed the order, 
going to the fort, where they saw the leader and hunted 
in company with him. They killed a large number of 


BREAKING OUT OF THE REBELLION 367 


animals, which were distributed among many thousand 
people, and the leader paid all the expenses. 

Once we were told that all the Bengalis would be 
killed, and we received the following instructions : ‘'Hang 
up a bullock hide and a pair of flutes at the end of the 
village street, so that they may know that you are Santhals, 
otherwise they will cut off your heads too.’’ 

Then a leader arose in the village of Bhognadi in the 
Por country, and people began to go there. They found 
him sitting within an enclosure, and sacrificed to him as 
though he had been a god. His name was Sido. 

A police official of the magistrates came and said to 
him: “By what authority are you doing this? Show me 
your pass !” 

Sido answered, “This is my pass !” and he cut the offi- 
cial down with a knife that looked like a pruning-hook. 

Then the rebellion began. As soon as it was known that 
the police official had been killed, soldiers arrived on the 
scene. They fought against Sido, his brother Kanhu and 
the country people at Kochpara, where the market is held. 
The soldiers were defeated, and this increased the courage 
of Sido, Kanhu and their adherents. 

The two brothers issued the following order : “Let us 
kill all the land-owners and money-lenders and chase all 
the other Bengalis across the Ganges, and the kingdom 
shall be ours.” The people became maddened, and many 
leaders arose. 


368 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The soldiers were again defeated in battles at Pakour 
and Moheshpur. 

After that Mani, pargana of Jamolpani, and Ram, head- 
man of Baromasia, Nankar, became leaders, and Naranpur 
and Molhati, two large Bengali villages, were looted. 

The village of Gunpura was plundered under another 
leader; but here the Santhals were defeated. 

In a battle at Nangolia many Santhals were slain. 

At Lauboria, on the other side of the More river, many 
soldiers and a European gentleman were killed, and the 
Santhals were shot down like sheep. 

Being unable to cope with the enemy, the Santhals 
ran to the Saptola forest, where they remained about two 
months and where they, driven by hunger, began to 
plunder each other. 

Then the Europeans surrounded us and chased us like 
so many rabbits into the villages of Sikarpur and Ramkhuri, 

Having kept us in captivity about one month, the 
Europeans said to us: ‘^Why should you suffer? Tell us 
who your ring-leaders are, and we will let you go at once.’' 

Then the people told who their leaders were. The 
Europeans captured them, hanged some of them on the 
spot and transported others. 

The lieutenant governor came and ^^pacified” us, the 
common people, and we returned to our villages. 

We underwent great sufferings during the rebellion. 
From Tune to September we lived under trees in the hills. 


UNDER EUROPEAN SUPREMACY 369 

It rained in torrents, and we almost starved to death on 
account of the treacheries of our leaders. 

During the rebellion many of us lost our cattle, and 
when we returned to our villages we had to endure many 
hardships and privations. We had neither draft-cattle nor 
food, and the Bengalis ridiculed us in a most irritating way. 
W e again fell into the hands of the money-lenders. 

Some persons, by appropriating to themselves the cows 
and buffaloes of others, became rich by foul means during 
the rebellion. 

After the rebellion Europeans have come to Santhal- 
istan. Our first magistrate tried our cases free of charge ; 
but now-a-days litigation is very expensive. 

The clerks charge one or two rupees, and the pleaders 
take earnest money in advance. Stamped paper is re- 
quired, and the court underlings turn you down if you 
don't give them something, and nothing is decided until 
you have been worried and compelled to go back and forth 
three or four times. 

All these things are a source of trouble and distress to 
us. 

In other respects the Europeans are fair and just in 
their rulings. 


THIRTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 


Something for Mr. Skrefsrud. — Tallies with the Bible. — Good Con- 
necting Points. — The Devil Supreme. — Difficult Position of \Vitches. — 
Foes. — European Jurisprudence.— A Suffering, Friendless People. — 
Mr. Skrefsrud Narrates. 

There you have what the old heathen had to tell. As 
I have said before, it is only an extract. I did not dare to 
take any more for fear of tiring the reader. 

Imagine a missionary, one who had come to instruct 
these people and make them realize their deplorable con- 
dition, to show them the way out of the darkness and make 
them acquainted with Him who is the healing af the nations 
— imagine such a man sitting at the feet of a heathen and 
receiving information on all the subjects which have been 
but briefly touched upon in the previous chapters ! 

Objections would of course have been out of place. 
The missionary was a pupil, and as such he had nothing to 
do but to listen and carefully write down whatever was 
dictated to him. He had previously made up his mind to 
take everything as it was given to him, postponing to a 
later date the task of planning his assault upon the lurid 
darkness and the abyss of errors with which he expected 
to become better acquainted. For it stands to reason that 
[370] 


SOMETHING FOR MR. SKREFSRUD 


371 


he did not expect to find any good in paganism. But we, 
having read the previous chapters, can easily realize how 
profitable this instruction was to the missionary. 

Those who know Mr. Skrefsrud can understand what 
this meant to him. I imagine that I see him listening with 
intense eagerness to catch every word from the mouth of 
the old sage. I imagine that I see new ideas rising in his 
mind in opposition to preconceived notions, compelling 
him, almost from the start, to realize that it would not do to 
hunt for weak points, but on the contrary to connect his 
missionary work with whatever the people had preserved 
of the testimony of God in their traditions and life. 

For is there not a striking similarity between old 
Kolean’s account of the origin and infancy of the human 
race and that given in the Bible? Both the fall of man and 
the deluge are there, and even an allusion to the confusion 
of Babel is made. 

It must be admitted that there are discrepancies, which 
at times are laughable, as, for instance, the story about the 
earth-worm which consumed earth in the water and carried 
it up and deposited it on the back of a turtle. 

What is to be said about the account of the fall of man? 
The Santhals seem to know the origin of liquor. It was 
Lita who taught them to prepare it, and for that reason a 
Santhal does not think of defending liquor as a ^Mivine 
gift, which must be used moderately.’’ But after all, this 
Santhal heresy may not seem so very preposterous to 


37 ^ 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


some adherents to the cult of total abstinence, to which 
the writer takes a certain pride in belonging. 

There is a great deal of nonsense, interspersed with 
streaks of more or less genuine ingenuity; but it must be 
admitted that the account of the beginning of things as 
given by the Santhals is derived from the same source as 
the one with which we are most familiar. 

Considering that the Santhals were in India long before 
the Dravidians and the Aryans came there, and that they 
had no intercourse with the Jewish people or the descen- 
dants of Abraham, being therefore unacquainted with 
Moses and his account, it is evident that the oral tradi- 
tions of the Santhals must strengthen the conviction of a 
believer in the Bible; but to the missionary, the Santhal 
genesis was especially valuable as an ancient connecting 
point for his work. 

The patriarchal institutions of the Santhals and their 
distribution into twelve tribes are remarkable. The solici- 
tude with which they guard these institutions and their 
dread of incest, deserve our admiration and afford the best 
of connecting points for evangelical work among them. 

One of the characteristic features of the religion of the 
Santhals is, that they make the devil their chief god and 
devote the greatest attention to him in order that he, in 
return, shall not treat them too harshly. 

They know only too well that there is a God who is 
the origin of things and who is just and good. But they 
are not acquainted with him, nor do they seem to be over- 


DIFFICULT POSITION OF WITCHES 


373 


anxious to become acquainted with him. Far back in the 
days of their forefathers they ceased paying attention to 
him, and as the evil and capricious gods kept on growing 
in importance he was gradually forgotten. They knew 
that he was essentially good, therefore they were not afraid 
of him and simply permitted him to drop out of their 
minds. 

The evil spirits are treated differently. They were a 
constant source of trouble. They never left the people in 
perfect safety. They were numerous too. Some god 
might take offense at any time and cause disaster to man 
or beast, field or meadow. Therefore sacrifices must be 
made to them, and the more malicious and dangerous they 
were the more liberal were the offerings given to them. 

The Santhals hated the gods. But the gods are spirits. 
They cannot be beaten with clubs and stakes. Their cap- 
rices must be endured. 

But the witches were punished the more severely, for 
they were the accomplices of the gods. 

Misfortunes, disease and death are naturally the work 
of evil spirits; but malicious women were often looked 
upon as the tools without which the gods could not ac- 
complish their purposes. 

It took both time and labor to ferret out the guilty 
woman; but when she was detected her punishment 
was generally both sure and swift. No one thought of 
imploring her to be good or to pay her to avert a calamity. 


374 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Oh, no, she could be reached and handled by the men, 
and she had to be whipped. 

Old Kolean at times says words of precious wisdom. 
But when he comes to the witches he becomes utterly 
childish. To him witches are as real as is Maran Buru, 
and he is unable to comprehend why the Europeans, of 
whose judgment in general he has not a very high opin- 
ion, cannot realize that the witches are the greatest curse 
of the Santhal people. In bygone days the infernal women 
folks were somewhat curbed ; but now that the Europeans 
have sided with them, things are going from bad to worse. 

The Hindus and the Mohammedans have always been 
hostile to the Santhals. They have always been superior 
to them, they have crowded them out and persecuted them 
from one country to another. Merchants, money-lenders 
and liquor-sellers have by their extortions driven the poor 
people to the verge of despair ; and when the Santhals rose 
like one man to put an end to the injustice and to throw 
off the yoke of oppression the white man supported the 
enemy and assisted in making injustice victorious. 

In former days people could be just to each other. 
But now the morals are corrupted, and many people refuse 
to have their lawsuits settled according to the laws of 
their forefathers, preferring to have the Europeans apply 
their preposterous laws and to judge between Santhal and 
Santhal. And if a Santhal appeals to a European judge 
for vindication of his rights as against a Hindu or Moham- 
medan, the judge will only add insult to injury. 


A SUFFERING, FRIENDLESS PEOPLE 375 


A sad song of lamentation this is indeed ! 

There are misconceptions and mistakes. But one re- 
ceives the overwhelming impression that this is a suffering 
people, a people that needs sympathy and help. Worried 
by the gods, worried by the witches — or rather by their 
belief in witchcraft — by the usurers, the merchants, the 
liquor-sellers, the Hindus, the Mohammedans and finally 
by the Europeans ! 

What should the missionary do? Preach? 

What? Preach to a hungry stomach? Preach to a man 
with a broken leg? Stand preaching over a man who has 
fallen among thieves, who is bruised and beaten and strip- 
ped of everything? 

There are indeed people who carry on missionary work 
in this way; but the fruits are in keeping with the work. 
There is zeal without wisdom. But there is also zeal 
without a heart. And both are equally out of place. 

The disposition of the missionary will dictate his 
methods in dealing with such a distressed people. 

Is not the account of the old sage like a mighty cry 
from the depth of the soul of an oppressed people? The 
gods are the enemies of the people. The Hindus and the 
Mohammedans who surround them on all sides would de- 
vour them alive if they only could, and the Europeans 
are but little better. Everything seems to be against the 
Santhals. They have no friends who can help them. 

No friends ! Every stranger was looked upon as a new 
enemy by this people until his deeds had proven him to 


376 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

be a friend and had won their confidence. In this case a 
missionary would understand that all talk was useless un- 
til he had demonstrated that the people’s distress was his 
distress. But if his heart is in the right place he will 
unerringly and unhesitatingly follow the example of the 
good Samaritan, endeavoring to relieve suffering where 
the distress is most urgent. 

This method was chosen by Messrs. Boerresen and 
Skrefsrud. 

Single-handed these two men came to Santhalistan. 
They were backed by no individual society, no denomina- 
tion. They were poor in the wealth of this world ; but rich 
in faith and warmed with the love of God. 

Mr. Skrefsrud gives the following account of his early 
work: ^'We commenced our work in an arbor, which we 
had built with our own hands. The Santhals visited us 
there. They were not afraid to enter an arbor, while they 
would not have dared to enter a palace or a large, splendid 
European house. We went out among them and joined 
their hunting parties, and at times we had an audience of 
ten thousand people. We went with them when they were 
at work, when they baptized and confirmed their chil- 
dren according to pagan rites, and when they celebrated 
their holidays and worshipped their gods. We accompanied 
them to their sages, where traditions and poems were re- 
cited. We mingled with the people in all walks of life, 
often sitting down on the floor in tailor-fashion. We ate 
black rice together with them, using our fingers for spoons, 


MR. SKREFSRUD NARRATES 


377 


and slept in their cow-sheds. Hunger and weariness made 
us sleep well there. We associated with them as though 
we had been one of them, and thus we became familiar 
with their way of thinking and their character. We de- 
tected their weak as well as their strong points and learned 
what ought to be encouraged and what ought to be com- 
batted in their lives. 

''We removed their prejudices against us by associate 
ing with them. They soon found that we were different 
from other strangers, that we had not come to sponge on 
them, but were their friends, and prejudice gave way to 
confidence. We came to them as poor people to poor 
people, as sufferers to sufferers. Wheneve*- we could show 
them a favor we did so, and we grew together until we 
felt like brothers. They realized that our friendship was 
earnest and honest. 

"We received no aid, we had no backing. But both 
Mr. Boerresen and myself felt that the Lord had called us 
to Santhalistan, and we were perfectly indifferent as to our 
own lives. We were not at all concerned about the hard- 
ships that we might have to undergo. But we promised 
our Lord on our knees that we would either conquer in his 
name or die in his name in our effort to make disciples of 
Jesus of the Santhals. 

"For a long time we actually ate only black rice and 
curry, rarely tasting anything else. But this did not worry 
us, and it contributed to make us strong and hardy. When 
one feels that there is no human help to fall back upon he 


.378 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


is permitted to fall on his knees. We came to that pass, 
and there we are yet. I have read much in my life, but I 
have been permitted to pray still more, and I am sure 
that my prayers have done more for the missions than what 
I have read, though the latter has ben valuable.” 

In another lecture Mr. Skrefsrud says : ^‘At first we re- 
lieved their distress. We were able to go to the English 
government in Calcutta and testify that the Santhals were 
greatly wronged by the landowners and money-lenders. 
The English government investigated the matter and 
found that we had told the truth. By a single stroke of 
the pen the whole of Santhalistan was taken away from 
these landowners and placed directly under the govern- 
ment. The country was surveyed and a price was fixed 
on every parcel of land. 

‘The usurers were doomed to a similar fate, a limit be- 
ing put to the rate of interest which the Santhals were to 
pay. 

“The reader can easily imagine how bitterly the usurers 
and the landlords now began to fight us. They often at- 
tempted to inflict bodily injury upon us because we suc- 
ceeded in saving the Santhals from their talons. 

“But what impression did this make upon the San- 
thals? How often the Santhals told me that soldiers had 
been sent out to take my life ! But they would add : ‘We 
will surround you, we will constitute a wall around you 
and shed our last drop of blood for you !’ They talked this 
way even before they became Christians. At a great 


MR, SKREFSRUD NARRATES 


379 


gathering which was attended by four hundred head-men 
they gave away their most precious right: They invited 
me to dine with them contrary to the rule that this honor 
shall be reserved exclusively to members of their caste. 
They did this out of gratitude to us for having proven our- 
selves to be their friends in this hour of distress. 

“The Lord gave us a great victory by removing all 
outward obstacles from the way of those who wished to 
become Christians. This was the first ray of light in San- 
thalistan, and how grateful we were! 

“Having been able to assist them in this manner, we 
were in a position to tell them with still greater emphasis 
about a still worse usurer and landlord, about the arch-fiend 
from the beginning, how he had robbed their hearts of 
peace and driven them from one abomination to another. 
We told them about God who loves them and about a 
Savior who has given his life for them, told them that the 
darkness of sin was the worst of all darkness, and that 
their sufferings from this cause were infinitely worse than 
all other sufferings. 

“Upon first hearing of this the heathen could not 
imagine how it was possible. But they already knew that 
we were their friends, our deeds having demonstrated that 
we only wanted to live and die for and amongst them. 

“I wish you could have seen these poor heathen when 
they heard that there was One who was willing to help 
them in their distress. The tears poured down their 
cheeks, and they began to ask how it was possible that 


38 o light in the DARKNESS 

God would send his Son to die for them and still ask for 
nothing in return but their hearts. 

‘^Gradually the pagan darkness was dispelled, light was 
kindled in their wretched hearts. And when they heard 
that they might lean their heads up against the Savior's 
bosom, their eyes sparkled, their faces seemed trans- 
figured.’^ 


THIRTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 


Chandray.— Against Rats and Dogs. — A Swindler Caught. — Slow 
Work. — Butter-Making. — An Odd Watchman. — Impudent Crows. — 
Medical Treatment.— Mr. Boerresen as a Physician. — A Poor Selection. — 
Nimai. 

Chandray, poor fellow ! He is still a heathen. But he 
is a faithful servant. He has been with me for two months. 

Barefooted, noiselessly as a spirit he steals into my 
room before daybreak to put my clothes in order and to 
arrange everything in the bathing-room. Noiselessly he 
departs again, closing the door, or window, or whatever 
I shall call it, and he remains waiting outside until break- 
fast is ready. Then he turns up again. 

If I take a walk I see Chandray following me in the 
distance, and if I have forgotten to take Mr. Skrefsrud’s 
big sun-hat, he will come with it in his hand as punctually 
as a clock-work and make me understand that I am a silly 
baby, not knowing that the Indian sun will pierce through 
my American felt hat and kill me in five minutes, and if 
I sit down on a stone he starts a fearful racket. 

If I write down what I think he says and take it to 
Mr. Skrefsrud to have him interpret it I occasion a thun- 
[381] 


382 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


der-storm of hilarity, partly because I have misspelt the 
words, partly because Chandray has managed to use spicy 
terms. 

It was Mr. Skrefsrud that selected this servant for me. 
He wanted to confer upon me the honor of hiring a page 
for me. He considered it absolutely necessary to have 
some one to take care of me as long as I was a stranger 
to everything in the country. I should not think of the 
expenses. He would pay the bill, and when I found that 
Chandray was to receive three rupees, or about one dollar 
a month, and board himself, I accepted the offer without 
protesting. 

It is not clear to me whether Chandray at first had a 
correct idea of his position ; for he spent a part of the first 
evening in giving me a lesson in his mother tongue. 

Standing in front of me, he began to pronounce a num- 
ber of words quite slowly. He repeated the same rigma- 
role several times until he succeeded in having me pro- 
nounce the words. But the explanation came the next 
day, from Mr. Skrefsrud, of course. He is my only refuge 
when I am lost in linguistic jungles. 

The boy wanted to teach me to count from one to ten 
in one evening. 

Poor fellow! He did not succeed. By this time he 
must have given me up as an impossibility. In the course 
of two months I have learned to understand nothing but 
^‘Dakka jum, Saheb for this is what he says every time 
he wants me to eat. I know three other words. One of 


AGAINST RATS AND DOGS. 383 

them I learned from Mr. Skrefsrud, another from Mrs. 
Boerresen, and the third I knew before. 

But if Chandray does not hold a very high opinion of 
my linguistic aptitude and my intellectual powers in gen- 
eral, he has had numerous proofs of my goodness of heart. 
The trifles that I have put in his hand are not worth men- 
tioning. But my coat, the only one that I had for change, 
has often warmed his body as well as his soul many a cold 
night when he either lay in front of my door because he 
was too indolent to go home to sleep or sat waiting until 
he could light me across the court-yard when I stayed at 
Mr. Boerresen’s house after dark. I trust that we are 
good friends now and hope that we will remain so for 
life. 

The other day he turned an honest penny, and I am 
glad of it. 

It happened in the following way: For several nights 
in succession I had been visited, in spite of my wishes and 
contrary to expectations, by one or more of those creatures 
which from all indications, both good and bad, must be- 
long to the genus rat. By means of gestures and grimaces 
and a lot of unarticulated sounds I tried to complain of 
their nocturnal visits to my dear Chandray, and he seemed 
to understand me. At any rate he prepared a rat-trap 
of an exceedingly primitive appearance; but to my sur- 
prise the nuisance was nabbed. 

But no one was happier than Chandray. He went to 
Mrs. Boerresen with the dead animal and received the 


384 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


bounty which she had placed on the head of every rat 
caught on the premises of the station. 

Poor Mrs. Boerresen! Rats, dogs and divers other 
quadrupeds had found out long ago that the station was 
a very hospitable place, and something had to be done to 
stem the tide of the uninvited guests. 

The lady resolutely set a price on the heads of the 
undesirable animals. 

Both boys and grown men took advantage of the offer, 
and at first an extra penny was very frequently earned 
at Ebenezer. After a while, however, there was a marked 
decrease in the number of slain, and Mrs. Boerresen’s fund 
for the destruction af obnoxious animals was in a plethoric 
condition. 

But quite recently a man has brought dead dogs at 
alarmingly short intervals, asked for his bounty and re- 
ceived it. 

But to-day his traffic was choked off. Mrs. Boerresen 
thought this mart’s dogs came at a too rapid rate, and he 
finally brought only young whelps. 

“You better look into this matter, Lars”, said she to 
Mr. Skrefsrud, and Lars soon solved the riddle. 

The man had established a regular lying-in hospital for 
the propagation of dogs in one of the most out-of-the-way 
buildings of the station. 

A snide game! 

As soon as the man thought the whelps were big 
enough he would kill them and collect his bounty. But 


SLOW WORK 385 

this time he began to draw on a new brood a little too 
early, and Mrs. Boerresen suspected something wrong. 

It goes without saying that the man was reprimanded 
according to his deserts. But Mr. Skrefsrud is engaged in 
devising some means of removing stray dogs without of- 
fering too tempting inducements to weak souls. 

One of the many curiosities which tend to make a 
person feel tired is afforded by a crew of laborers, two men 
and four women, who for fully six weeks have been en- 
gaged in making a new cement floor on the veranda in 
front of the house where I am stopping. 

I do not dare to boast of my strength ; but I am guilty 
of no exaggeration when I claim that I could have finished 
the job single-handed in six ordinary work-days. 

They take it very easy, the men in particular. They 
make the women carry water, stone and lime, while they 
themselves handle the trowel, a wee little one, which they 
apply so gently and slowly to the cement that it gets cran- 
ky and hard before the men have made it smooth. And 
so they have to do it over again. But how much ought 
to be expected from men receiving three cents a day? Why 
not pay these people well and make them work decently? 

‘‘Have tried it,’’ says Mr. Skrefsrud, “but these people 
cannot be handled that way. They must be trained for 
several generations before they become active and pro- 
gressive.” 

In the court-yard is a round elevation with a roof over 
it. Here the people eat their breakfast during winter. 


^86 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


‘'Look at this/' Mrs. Boerresen said, ‘T have built and 
cemented this with my own hands simply because I was 
not able, either by words or gestures, to make them under- 
stand how it was to be done. I worked while the people 
were looking at me, wondering how the job would turn 
out. But they learned so much that when I give them 
plenty of time they can do fairly good work in cement." 

Fortunate is he who is endowed with patience, without 
which no good can be accomplished in this part of the 
world. 

An exception to all rules is afforded by a man who 
churns butter every day in front of Mrs. Boerresen's win- 
dow. Many farmers' wives in the West might profit by 
learning from him. For at times it is no child's play to 
separate the butter from the cream by means of the old- 
fashioned dasher. But this man churns butter from the 
thin, sweet milk, and he does it so easily and rapidly that 
it is a delight to look at him. 

The Santhals do not churn butter until the milk is 
sour, and it curdles very quickly in this climate. To 
obtain cream they churn the sour milk, separate the butter 
and turn it into oil. But Mrs. Boerresen wants butter 
from sweet milk, and it makes no difference to this dairy- 
man. 

In conformity with the customs of the fore-fathers he 
pours the milk into a churn of the same shape as those in 
which dashers are used. This he places on end close by a 
post, to which he ties a piece of rope having a loop at 


AN ODD WATCHMAN 


387 


one end; the tipper end of the dasher, or rather twirling- 
stick, is inserted in the loop ; and another thin piece of rope 
is passed around the twirling-stick. The man now takes 
one end of this rope in each hand and pulls back and forth 
in see-saw fashion, the twirling-stick dancing now this 
way now that way with great rapidity. This violent agita- 
tion is bound to bring out the butter far more rapidly and 
easily than the most vigorous old-fashioned churning with 
a dasher. 

This man therefore struck my fancy at once. 

A man keeps guard outside the girls’ court-yard. He 
is armed to the teeth and presents a most horrid and blood- 
curdling aspect when you run across him in the morning 
before he has dofifed that covering which once was a wool- 
len blanket but which now is a maze of a thousand and 
one big and small holes. 

But he is not .so dangerous as he looks. He nods and 
smiles whenever I pass, and at first he time and again 
permitted me to practice with his bow and arrow. I took 
this to be an innocent amusement. But I suddenly changed 
my opinion one day at the Simoldohi station when Mr. 
Boerresen posed as my target and received the arrow, a 
harmless, little thing in every respect, straight in his mouth. 
Then I promised never to monkey with the thing again, 
and I have kept my word to this very day. 

But our worthy watchman has use for his bow. Every 
now and then a detachment of the innumerable host of 
crows infesting this place will settle down to a fight with 


388 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the chickens about a piece of meat, potato peeling or 
whatever else is enjoyed by the fowl fraternity. Here our 
watchman officiates as judge and jury, and the crows are 
invariably declared guilty. 

Strangely enough, however, he never show^s up when 
the crows are trying to steal food from our plates wLen 
w^e are dining. In such cases we have been compelled to 
chase away the pesky, thievish birds ourselves. 

Of all the wild birds you never saw a greedier lot than 
the Indian crows. In large cities they may enter the kitch- 
en and steal the daintiest dishes without compunction. 
In Calcutta, for instance, a crow came into my room and 
greeted me with the familiar ‘‘krap ! krap 

Mr. Bocrresen claims that it says '"keiap,” and that 
the crows suggested the name which the .Santhals ha\'e 
applied to Mr. Skrefsrud. They call him ‘‘kerap’’, though 
they can easily pronounce his name correctly; but Mr. 
Skrefsrud himself will not listen to this explanation. It 
is a matter of record, however, that crows were unknown 
in these parts before the missionaries arrived, and, except- 
ing this station, I have not seen a trace of them in San- 
thalistan. 

The crows follow in the wake of the Europeans, for 
where these live and move there are greater opportunities 
for bird and beast to eke out a living. On this account 
it would not be surprising if the Santhals thought the 
crows were calling for Mr. Skrefsrud when they said ‘‘krap 
krap.’’ 


MEDICAL TREATMENT 


389 


Twice I have received medical treatment in the 
course of the past month. The first time the liver was the 
seat of the ailment. This is what the doctor and Mr. 
Skrefsrud claimed at any rate. 

I complained a little during the day and pointed out 
the center of the pain. After I had gone to bed in the 
evening they both came to me and diagnosed the case 
most thoroughly. Of course I did not dare to volunteer 
any remarks about the diagnosis, Mr. Skrefsrud being 
what I might calf a sort of universal expert and connois- 
seur, and Nimai — if this is his right name — having served 
a Scotch physician as assistant for three years. 

Something drastic had to be done to that wayward 
liver. A little medicine. The doctor was to fetch it. This 
was well and good. But as to the rest I was left in a quan- 
dary. An operation? The doctor, who understood that 
much English, smiled and shook his head. But when he 
returned, accompanied by Chandray, who carried a kettle 
of burning charcoal, I almost began to shudder. 

What in the world does this mean? I rattled ofif my 
entire Santhal vocabulary, ‘‘dakka jum,’’ ‘diakopako'’, 
“chet kana’’ etc. But it fitted in like '‘ax-handle’’ to "How 
do you do?” and they only laughed at me. 

My only choice was to submit to everything, and when 
Nimai had babbled a few words which he took to be Eng- 
lish and of which I caught "good” and "help you” my 
worst fears were overcome. 

The doctor took some rags and made into rolls which 


390 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


were one-and-a-half inches long, and he made Chandray 
hold these over the burning coals one by one. As soon 
as the first roll was hot, the doctor took it and pressed one 
end of it, which was almost burning, against the bare skin 
on the spot where I felt the pain most keenly. Ugh! But 
it would have done no good to scream. The next moment 
he exchanged ragrolls, and Chandray had all he could do 
to keep the rolls hot. This treatment was kept up for 
about twenty minutes. 

Next evening they returned with their kettle of fire 
and gave me the same treatment as before. 

My second sickness was a throat trouble, and recourse 
was again had to the fire-kettle. 

Did it help? Why, certainly. The medical art is not 
in vain, I should think. But the best of it is, that Nimai 
has not learned to despise a plain remedy. He must have 
found it profitable on many occasions. 

A physician is indispensable at a station where there 
are several hundred children and where both Christians 
and heathen go when somebody is sick. During the first 
year Mr. Boerresen had to do the doctoring, and he claims 
that he had an extensive practice. 

Once a man came to him moaning wildly and hugging 
his stomach. Mr. Boerresen gave him some red pepper 
and told him to go home. 

•Tt burns my throat terribly,’’ said the man, but if it 
cures my boy it is all right.” 

‘Wour boy?” 


A POOR SELECTION 


39 ^ 


^‘Yes, my boy; for it is he that is sick/’ 

In this case the remedies went into the wrong stomach, 
you see. But Mr. Boerresen told the man to go home 
anyway, and to return in case the boy had not improved. 
He did not return. The chances are that he would rather 
have his boy grapple with the belly-ache on his own hook 
than subject the parental maw to an extra dose of red 
pepper on the vicarious plan. 

Mr. Boerresen, while on a journey in England, met a 
physician who had practiced in Chicago and who now pre- 
tended to be on the point of settling down in India. As 
the physician spoke glibly and with Christian-like unction 
Mr. Boerresen took him to be the man destined to fill the 
position of regular physician at Ebenezer, and in due time 
the man came there. But it soon appeared that he was not 
the right man. His wife was addicted to strong drink and 
would overwhelm him with abusive, obscene language and 
filth, and the couple had to be sent away head over heels. 

Then it occurred to Mr. Boerresen that it might be well 
to train a native Christian for this work, and Nimai was 
sent to a Scotch physician, where he remained three years, 
as already stated. 

Nimai is an amiable man and a sympathetic Christian. 
He performs his duties with faithfulness. He never fails 
to look after the health of the children every day, and un- 
less I am badly mistaken he is, next to the missionaries 
themselves, the most popular man at the station. 


THIRTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 


A-t the Market-Place. — A Syrup Merchant.— Merchandise — Tobac 
CO — Pao. — Santhal Industries. — When the Machine Said “Click”. 

We now make a trip to the market-place outside Eben- 

Real trading-booths are rarely found in the Indian vil- 
lages. But there are fixed market-places throughout the 
country. To these market-places the merchants haul or 
carry their goods. To-day they are at this market-place, 
to-morrow at another. The number of market-days runs 
from one to three at each place. This place has three 
market-days a week. 

The market-place is an inclosed square which has two 
entrances and a road running between these through the 
center. At each entrance is a small space where the ground 
is leveled and coated with earth and cow-dung. When 
the people from the neighboring villages fetch their rice, 
pease, Indian corn etc. they must take a handfuld from 
their basket and throw it down at this spot, which is care- 
fully guarded by the manager. This is the tax collected 
for the use of the market-place. 

This is the place where one may find out what the 
[392] 


AT THE MARKET-PLACE 393 

people of the country eat and wear, what their everyday 
and holiday necessaries are. 

The buyers are sitting on one side. They want all 
kinds of grain. They weigh and measure and pour the 
grain down upon the ground, taking care that each kind 
is kept in a separate heap. Each purchase is only a small 



View of the Market-Place. 


quantity, but when all is put together it amounts to some- 
thing anyway. 

This is also the place where the fuel dealers do their 
business. The most common fuel is dried cow-dung, an 
article which is used for many different purposes in India. 
A few sticks of wood along with the cow-dung come very 
handy. Fire-wood is bought in small bundles. 


394 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


This is also the place for the empty carts. From the top 
of one of these I had a fine view of the surging multitude 
on the other side, where the retail trade proper is car- 
ried on. 

Straight ahead of me I notice three women sitting on 
the ground, engaged in performing an act of mercy upon 
a fourth one. The latter, who is more advanced in years, 
has a sliver in her foot. One of the three supports her 
from behind to keep her from falling backwards, and while 
she is serving as a prop she also makes a careful search for 
parasites in the frowzy hair of the patient. 

Some of the merchants are preparing a meal, and 
others are already engaged in eating. Their food consists 
of a mixture of crushed rice or grain, water and sugar or 
syrup. They keep a small vessel of water by their side 
while they are eating. They wash their hands carefully 
before they begin to mix the food. Neither spoon nor 
ladle is used. They fill the right hand with the mixture 
and stuff it into the mouth. When they are through they 
Trink a little of the water and wash both mouth and hands. 

These people are fond of sweet substances. The sugar 
dealers have a good sale. But their goods do not look 
Tippetizing. To me the stuff appeared to be one-half dirt 
und one-half sugar. 

A rich man has seated himself outside the gate and is 
selling home-made syrup. His business is in a flourishing 
condition. He had a big barrel of syrup when he came, 
und now only one-half of it is left. He has cut out six 


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TOBACCO 


397 


inches from the middle of a stare, leaving an opening at 
the bulge of the cask. When a customer orders a quan- 
tity the merchant runs his hand through this opening and 
dips out so and so many handfuls for so and so much 
money. He wipes his hand carefully into the customer's 
vessel every time so that the latter may have no reason 
to complain that the measure is too stinted. 

Among the traders are comparatively many women 
who have brought different products from the villages. 
One has brought a basketful of leaves which are pinned 
together into a kind of dishes which are bought and used 
as plates by poor people who have no brass bowls. Of 
other articles may be mentioned pease, pepper, oil on com- 
mon beer-bottles, potatoes a little bigger than peas, differ- 
ent edible roots etc. 

Tobacco is a very common article. The Santhals call 
it ‘Tamakur." It is cultivated practically by everybody. 
But those who raise it are not equally successful, and some 
of them use it up too early. 

The Santhals are fond of tamakur. You rarely see 
them smoke a common pipe. They prefer cigars, if I may 
apply that term. They crush the tobacco between their 
hands, place it on a fresh leaf of a tree and roll it up into a 
sort of cigar. They make it work, these people do. 

They do not chew tobacco in the ordinary way. They 
are not so filthy as that. But they pulverize it well, mix it 
with slaked lime and place the mixture between the lips 


39 ^ 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and the gums. There they let it remain undisturbed, ex- 
tracting only the juice. 

Tobacco is not chewed extensively in any part of In- 
dia, pan being used for that purpose. 

It took me a long time to find out what this was. On 
the railway cars and in the cities I met many persons whose 
lips and teeth were as red as blood, and their expectoration, 
which they would send out in uncomfortable quantities, 
was of the same color. Now I know all about it. They 
were chewing pan. 

When a person wants a chew he goes to a pan-vender, 
who generally has a lot of green leaves on hand. He has 
not a moment to spare, for there are many customers, and 
all want a chew just as they pass him. He cuts up the 
leaves into pieces of a proper shape and size, drops a little 
slaked lime in the middle of a piece, adds a few bits of 
betel-nut, cinnamon etc., folds the leaf carefully together, 
and the chew is ready. 

As soon as a person begins to chew this his mouth 
looks like the bloody jaws of a beast of prey. 

It is claimed that pan is both healthy and palatable, 
and I have heard people say that if they were bound to 
choose between the tobacco of the Christians and the 
pan of the heathen, they would prefer the latter. 

The Europeans in India generally refrain from chew- 
ing pan, not because they do not enjoy it, but because they 
dread its color. But they use the more tobacco, chew- 
ing and smoking until their mouths stink like a sewer. 


SANTHAL INDUSTRIES 


399 


The different tools offered for sale are of the most 
primitive make. Here is a blacksmith who sells knives 
and axes. But his goods look wretched. Yet it is strange 
that he could have done so well. Perhaps he has obtained 
his iron from the natural ore. In some localities the rocks 



A Blacksmith Shop. 

contain a large percentage of iron, and the Santhals are 
familiar with the art of making iron. 

I visited a blacksmith-shop the other day so that I 
know what kind of tools the blacksmiths are supplied with. 
The work was really done in the open air. The bellows 
consisted of two bags which a boy worked by trampling 
on them. The anvil was a two-inch-thick piece of iron 
which had been rammed into the ground. The black- 


400 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


smith used a pair of tongs, but I declare that they were 
frail indeed. 

There is a comparatively large supply of earthenware, 
mostly water pitchers and .cooking vessels. There are also 
small articles, such as tobacco-pipes and oil lamps. The 



Weaving. 


lamps are little bowls with a receptacle for the wick ex- 
tending from one side. 

There are quite a few potteries in the country, and, 
considering the fact that the tools used are hardly worth 
mentioning, the products are remarkably neat and well 
made. 

The market is also well supplied with white textiles. 
A large part of these goods have evidently been imported 
from other countries in India. Buth the Santhals can 


WHEN THE MACHINE SAID “CLICK” 401 
also weave beautiful textiles. In a village not far from here 

I 

there are many weavers, and I have visited them repeat- 
edly to see how they do their work.. Their loom is quite 
plain, consisting of a few stakes put into the ground. In 
the evening the stakes are pulled out of the ground, and the 
whole affair is rolled up and carried into the house. In 
the morning it is taken out and put up again. But by 
means of this simple gear the Santhals can weave finer 
cloth than any that I have seen made in private houses 
in Europe. 

A person undeniably feels a little strange when he 
makes his first visit to such a market-place. This is of 
course largely due to the queer and outlandish things seen 
all around. But the impression is strengthened by hav- 
ing hundreds of people continually staring at you as 
though you were a prodigy, and watching your every 
movement as though you were plotting against them. 
But when we took Mrs. Boerresen’s giant camera to the 
market-place the other day they had a new object to stare 
at. Then I could move about unnoticed and finally sit 
down with my back leaning against a tree and join them 
in staring at the machine until it said ''click!’’ And the 
machine did not disappoint us, but turned out a fine group. 


THIRTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 


A Trip with Mr. Skrefsrud. — Struggle Against Intemperance — A 
Woman’s Rebellion. — A Perjurer. — In the Ox-Cart. — The Bungalow. — 
In Suri — Kerap Saheb Caused a Stir. — In the Court Room. — A Man of 
Many Complaints. 

Just returned from an enjoyable trip to the civil sta- 
tion Suri, south of Santhalistan, where Mr. Skrefsrud was 
summoned as witness in a perjury case. But this trip 
requires a somewhat lengthy introduction, which must 
come first. Here it is: 

To root out an old and firmly established custom 
is difficult, no matter where it is found. But to put an end 
to the drink habit and introduce prohibition among a 
heathen people like the Santhals must certainly be regarded 
as an unusually serious piece of work. 

When the missionaries broached the matter to the gov- 
ernment officials the latter did not dare to take any step in 
that direction unless it could be shown that the Santhals 
themselves demanded such a reform. 

Now the prospects were dark indeed. Is it in any 
shape or manner possible to induce a whole nation of sot? 
to petition the government to introduce prohibition? 

[402] 


STRUGGLE AGAINST INTEMPERANCE 403 


Well, who knows! 

Mr. Skrefsrud, on account of former services, had been 
elected to the position of pargana by the head-men of the 
villages. As such he had authority to summon the people 
to a consultation. 

But what good would that do I These people were fond 



A Liquor Shop. 


of liquor, and no amount of ordinary reasoning could 
make them petition the government for prohibition. 

But Mr. Skrefsrud knew his customers. He also knew 
the women and realized what could be done if they would 
side with him. — But we may as well let Mr. Skrefsrud 
explain the whole matter in his own words : 

‘'As pargana I summoned the women to a gathering. 

“When they came I spoke to them. I told them that 


404 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


I was glad to see how well they were dressed and how 
cheerful they looked. T take this to indicate that your 
husbands are very good to you, that they give you money 
to buy food and clothes for instead of spending it for 
liquor.’ 

'Oh, no !’ they shouted. 'We have not clothes 
enough to cover ourselves. Our children are naked, and 
if we want to eat we must procure the food ourselves. 
Our husbands are worse than ever. They do not only 
spend for drink whatever they earn themselves; but they 
often deprive us of the fruits of our own work and sell 
them for liquor, and when we have no more to give them 
they add insult to injury by beating us.’ 

" 'Well, is this the situation?’ I said. 'I thought you 
looked like it too, but I wanted to hear what you had to 
say.’ 

" 'But do you wish me to help you?’ 

" 'Oh, certainly, if you only can do anything, for this 
is more than we can endure.’ 

" 'You know how I helped you against the usurers. 
Why should I not be able to help you now too? But then 
you must do exactly as I tell you to do.’ 

"Oh, yes, they would do anything at all if it proved to 
be a remedy. 

"I assured them that I could procure a remedy if they 
only would obey me. Then I told them to go to their 
homes, and when their husbands came they should be as 
mean and cross as they possibly could be. They should 


A WOMAN’S REBELLION 


405 


not even prepare meals. And when asked by their hus- 
bands for the meaning of all this they should answer that 
they had been to Kerap, who in the capacity of pargana 
had told them that they should share neither bed nor 
board with their husbands until the latter had been to 
him and had put their mark to a document which was to 
be sent to the government. 

^This was done, and the men were thoroughly scared. 
They visited each other and complained about the mean- 
ness of their wives, piling misery upon misery. At last they 
yielded to the inevitable and came to me to find out what 
all this meant. 

'You have made our wives rebel against us,’ they 
said. 'What made you/ do that?’ 

"I frankly admitted that I had used my authority as 
pargana to order the women to act as they had done. 

" 'But you have preached that the women shall sub- 
mit to their husbands?’ 

"'Certainly I have; but then the men must be men 
and not turn themselves into hogs. You remember what 
you often have told me when I have been after you on 
account of your intemperance and your habit of beating 
your wives when you are drunk. You have always told 
me that the trouble is due to the liquor shops. If they 
were removed you would drink no more. Now I want 
to see what you mean by this statement. Here is a peti- 
tion to the government to close all liquor shops in this 
district. I want you to put your marks to this petition. 


4o6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


When you have done this your wives will be kind to you 
again, and you will get rid of a temptation of which you 
have often complained!’ 

“There was only one way out of the pinch. They 
signed the document. 

“In this manner we succeeded in getting up a petition, 
and this, backed by our own arguments, made it plain to 
the government officials that the liquor traffic had to be 
stopped.” 

Thus the prohibitory law was passed. But the strug- 
gle against the law-breakers dragged along for years. 

Not long ago the police were on the trail of some par- 
ties who were engaged in illicit liquor-selling. But the 
police were whipped, and the distillers succeeded in con- 
cealing their goods and apparatus so that nothing was 
found. 

Next day a heathen servant at the house of the head- 
man of the village where the search was made came to 
Mr. Skrefsrud with a bottle of liquor and a part of a still. 
Mr. Skrefsrud reported the matter. But the boy was scared 
by the head-man and coaxed by the lawyers to testify 
in the court that he had never seen Mr. Skrefsrud and that 
he had not given him the objects mentioned above. But 
as eight men had seen him come to Mr. Skrefsrud, the 
judge detained him on the charge of perjury. 

It was as a witness in this case that Mr. Skrefsrud had 
been summoned. 

He was to appear at ten o’clock Monday forenoon and 


IN THE OX-CART 


407 


had to leave Sunday evening in order to reach the place in 
time. 

1 wanted to accompany him. In a hurry we hunted up 
a Christian Santhal who had a rattling skeleton of a 
covered ox-cart, in which I was to ride. This was my first 
nocturnal journey in an ox-cart. 

I had to He down in there. The intention was, that we 
should sleep too, and I think Mr. Skrefsrud slept in his 
cart, for he is accustomed to this kind of accommodation. 
But to me the situation seemed desparate. If there only 
had been an end to the journey! But here we spent ten 
hours in rocking and rolling over a distance of only twelve 
miles — exactly the same distance as my first carriers con- 
veyed me in two hours. 

As a means of locomotion the ox is hardly up to the 
demands of our days. 

And the driver! He sat sleeping on the tongue most 
of the time, and it is a wonder that he did not tumble 
down. 

. From Rampur Hat we traveled a few miles by rail, and 
the balance of the journey by horse-carriage. 

We first went to a bungalow to rest a little and arrange 
our toilet before appearing in court. 

Bungalow is the common name for buildings where 
traveling Europeans stop for rest or for spending the 
night. The government has caused such buildings to be 
put up throughout India, most of them being located along 
the highways and in towns where there are no hotels. The 


4o8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


bungalows are often empty, and when the travelers have 
bed-clothes, provisions, cooking utensils and servants they 
put up there and make themselves at home. In the towns 
the bungalows are usually supplied with good cooks to 
take care of the buildings and prepare the food for the 
travelers. There was such a cook in the bungalow at 
which we put up, and he seemed to know his business 
thoroughly. 

Suri is a bustling town, and it was evident that the in- 
habitants were accustomed to see Europeans. The chil- 
dren did not hide themselves upon seeing us. Nor did 
men and women gather in crowds and stare at us. Not 
even the monkeys, which appeared in comparatively large 
numbers, seemed to make more ado about us than about 
other people. 

The town has a European quarter with fine residences 
and several churches. 

People were swarming around the government build- 
ings, of which there is a long row. We, or rather Mr. 
Skrefsrud, were soon noticed. The king himself could not 
have received more attention that he did. ‘'Kerap Saheb ! 
Kerap Saheb passed from mouth to mouth, and in a 
short while we were surrounded on all sides by people who 
were anxious to take a good look at the prodigy. Some 
of them edged themselves through the crowd and seized 
Mr. Skrefsrud’s hand and shook it as though he had been 
an old acquaintance whom they were glad to meet. Mr. 
Skrefsrud had preached to them thirty years before. But 




IN THE COURT-ROOM 


409 


now he had changed so greatly that they did not recognize 
him. Mr. Skrefsrud was soon drawn into a most animated 
conversation with them. 

After a while he suddenly interrupted himself, saying, 
‘‘Why, I was to be in court as a witness.’’ 

Having made a search among the numerous court- 
rooms, we finally found the right one. 

But it was a dismal hole. The judge was seated at an 
old, black table. He was a Bengali. There could be no 
mistake about it, though he was dressed like one of us 
from head to foot, and though he wore a pair of heavy 
gold spectacles suspended above the tip of his nose — so 
far down, however, that they did not prevent him from 
seeing what was going on. Seated in front of him were a 
row of swell-looking men. They were regular dudes, wear- 
ing long Bengal coats and tight fitting pantaloons. Two 
of them even sported gold watch chains. They were law- 
yers. On either side was a narrow, square enclosure, with- 
in which a man was standing. The man to the left was 
the defendant, a coarse and savage-looking individual ; the 
one to the right was the witness, who seemed to be a sim- 
ple soul whom a shrewd lawyer could induce to say almost 
anything. 

The judge was starjtled when we entered the room. 
He perceived that we were a little more than the ordi- 
nary run of people. He asked if one of us was Mr. Skrefs- 
rud. Yes, sir. All right! The case under consideration 
was postponed, and the Santhal boy was given a hearing. 


410 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Poor boy, how I pitied him ! He did not look danger- 
ous. He was rather small and seemed to be about 22 
years old. His hair hung unkempt down on his shoulders, 
and he looked as though he had neither slept nor washed 
himself for a long time. I do not think he would have 
done much harm if he had been let loose. But I would not 
be surprised if a boy having such a face could lie both 
rapidly and skilfully as long as he has the floor and then 
close his mouth as tight as an oyster in order not to be 
caught in contradictions. A face like his is rarely found 
among the Santhals. The typical Santhal face gives you the 
impression of frankness and honesty. Mr. Skrefsrud also 
claims that it is only recently that the Santhals have learned 
to lie without betraying it by their looks. They might 
lie formerly too; but if you asked them if they lied they 
would lick their mouths and make a confession. Old 
Kolean holds similar views. But he blames the European 
methods of administering justice for this increasing sin. 
Mr. Skrefsrud seems to think that the refusal to accept the 
gospel tends to develop this evil also. 

Mr. Skrefsrud now entered his enclosure. An old, 
worn Bible was handed him. It was the binding that 
was worn. The contents had presumably never been used. 
The Bible has its place in English jurisprudence. There 
must be one in every court-room. It is not to be read. 
Far from it! But the witness must put his hand on it 
and kiss it when he or she is to be sworn in court. 
It was from such handling and kissing that this Bible was 


IN THE COURT-ROOM 


411 


worn out. God only knows how many Judas-kisses it has 
received in this way ! 

But now it dawned on my mind why there are so 
many officials in India. The language of the courts is 
English of course. A large number of judges are natives, 
and their knowledge of this language is so limited that a 
common man could scarcely get along with it in his every- 
day work. The lawyers know still less of it, and the com- 
mon people next to nothing. When the people are bound 
to plod through cases by means of a foreign language, 
using the native language only when absolutely necessary, 
the reader may easily conjecture what progress is made. 

The judge had to write down his questions to Mr. 
Skrefsrud and then read them to him. This work took time, 
and I thought the venerable witness would go to sleep 
where he was standing. But there was one redeeming 
feature: the witness always had his answers ready. In 
one case he gave the answer even before the judge had 
finished the reading of his question. The witness under- 
stood what was coming and began to answer while the 
judge looked up from his work and failed to finish his 
question. 

Now the turn came to the accused. He did not under- 
stand a word of English, and the judge spoke to him in 
Bengali. ‘T do not understand Bengali,’’ said the boy 
rather impudently. 

At this point Mr. Skrefsrud simply broke loose. The 
boy pronounced these words with a perfect Bengali accent. 


412 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and he who was to be a witness seemed to forget entirely 
where he was. Without making any apology he plunged 
into a speech by which he spellbound both the judge and 
the lawyers. 

'Tie is guilty!’’ said the judge. "His guilt has been 
established beyond a doubt.” 

Now the lawyer of the plaintiff began to jabber some- 
thing which ought to have been English but which was 
a decidedly spurious commodity. The judge again began 
to ask questions. But by this time the boy had forgotten 
that he was to be ignorant of Bengali, and to the horror of 
his lawyer he answered one question after another fluently. 
But he always maintained that he had never seen Kerap. 

'T was surprised to find such a confounded liar in that 
fellow,” Mr. Skrefsrud said to me as we walked out. 

We afterwards heard that the young man was sen- 
tenced to a term of two years. 

We also paid a visit to the court-room of the superior 
court. This room was larger, and the air was not quite 
so foul. The judge seemed to be an intelligent and cul- 
tured man. Though he was a Bengali, his English was 
perfect, and his pronunciation plainly indicated that he 
had received his education in London. But then he holds 
a position which many Europeans would begrudge him. 

To the right sat two assistant judges. They had been 
in the service a long time, and their manners indicated 
that they were conscious of their own dignity. 

The witness-chair was occupied by a uniformed police- 


IN THE COURT-ROOM 


413 


man who was being subjected to a severe cross examina- 
tion, while four sinners were standing by a railing in front 
of the judge. They had been stealing, and the policeman 
had corralled both them and the stolen goods. The four 
stood as though they were praying and doing penance. 

Those gentlemen knew how to pose ! But they over- 
did the thing so grossly. We had them before our eyes 
about an hour, but they did not move a limb during that 
time. They were standing with the palms of their hands 
pressed together, the tips of the fingers almost touching 
the nose. 

I asked Mr. Skrefsrud which one of them looked the 
most sanctimonious. But he answered that all of them 
were thoroughbred scoundrels. He could read that much 
from their peering eyes. But he whose hair was white from 
old age was the slyest of them. In my opinion they only 
made the matter worse by trying to look so innocent. 

But the policeman was careful. He had testified in the 
inferior court. The aim of the attorney of the scoundrels, 
who was a brilliant lawyer, was to make the policeman con- 
tradict his former testimony. But he did not seem to 
succeed. The witness took his time and consulted his 
notes long and carefully before answering. 

There are some people whose lives are full of vexa- 
tions. They have had many opportunities and have em- 
braced all of them, but the result has invariably been the 
same, vexations. There is always something wrong about 
the machinery, and it is always somebody’s fault. Finally 


414 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


everything is found out to be wrong, which ought not to 
be and which would never have been the case if God had 
been foresighted enough to consult them before construct- 
ing the universe and planning the destinies of man. The 
blunder might still be remedied if it were generally known 
what they know; and they begin to agitate, only to reap 
fresh vexations. 

We met a man of this class at the bungalow. He had 
heard that Mr. Skrefsrud was in town and started off at 
once ; but he was afraid that he might come too late. 

His manners were easy, and he spoke English tolerably 
well. 

'‘What are you doing now-a-days?’’ Mr. Skrefsrud 
asked him. 

'T am farming now. Things are going down hill. 
But I am doing well anyway, for I have learned to handle 
the soil in the right way.’’ 

"But I have heard that you have been a zemindar?” 

"Yes, I owned thirty-six villages. But the Europeans 
have robbed me of all of them.” 

"The Europeans?” 

"Well, who else? I know I was right. But the Euro- 
peans who have undertaken to administer justice among 
the people do not know any more about them than does 
the moon about rice porridge, and they have given us 
laws the rank injustice of which smells to heaven. There- 
fore I lost what I had in paying litigations, and the money 
paid for the land was wasted. And the Baptists ! Well, 


A MAN OF MANY COMPLAINTS 


415 


you know how they are. I shall belong to that denomi- 
nation no more. It is all hypocrisy. They do not under- 
stand the people. They want to turn us into Europeans. 
That is a crying injustice to us. If I only could sell my 
house in this town!'’ 

''Do you own a house in this town when you are in- 
solvent?” 

"They did not get hold of that. When I perceived 
which way my affairs were going I deeded my house to my 
father. If I could sell it now I would go to England and 
America to lecture on the misgovernment of India.” 

"What good would that do?” 

"They would lend me an ear over there. The people 
in this country will not listen to me, they are corrupt.” 

"All headstrong people are right, more or less,” Mr. 
Skrefsrud said when the man was gone. "This man is 
no exception to the rule. Very many laws and regulations 
were drawn up by parties who were not acquainted with 
this people, and in some cases the law-makers were unduly 
influenced by rich men whose interests are widely different 
from those of the common people. And much of this is 
due to the indolence and unscrupulousness of the officials. 
Years ago I used to look upon this man as a warm-hearted 
Christian. But he has been meddling with affairs which 
he was not able to manage successfully. He has not been 
properly understood by the Christians, and his development 
has been side-tracked. If such people were treated in a 
spirit of appreciation and indulgence instead of being an- 
tagonized, their capacities might be utilized for some good 
purpose.” 


THIRTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 


Mr. Skrefsrud’s Birthday. — A Strange Life. — Mr. Skrefsrud as a 
Peacemaker. — With the Magistrate. 

At five o’clock this morning I was aroused by several 
hundred little throats that were singing outside of Mr. 
Skrefsrud’s room. I ought to have been with them. For 
it is Mr. Skrefsrud’s birthday. But when I came out the 
whole dernonstration was over, and I had to go all alone 
and extend my congratulations to him. But before doing 
this I had to adjust the Norwegian flag which the janitor 
had raised at half mast. 

Mr. Skrefsrud is a Norwegian from top to toe, while 
Mr. Boerresen, though born in Denmark, is a cosmopoli- 
tan. Mrs. Boerresen is a German, a genuine Berlin lady, 
and her ideal of a ruler is Kaiser Wilhelm II. He is a 
genuine German. 

Mr. Skrefsrud was born on a Norwegian farm, far 
up among the mountains, and he grew up under straitened 
and unfavorable circumstances. As a boy in his teens he 
went astray and was punished for complicity in stealing, 
but he stubbornly refused to give the names of the leaders. 

Afterwards he was converted, and he experienced a 
[416] 


STRANGE LIFE 


417 


burning desire to become a missionary. He procured 
an English and a German text-book, and though he had no 
assistance he soon learned to read any book in those 
languages. While working in a machine-shop he studied 
French, Latin and Greek without receiving any in- 



L. O. Skrefsrud. 


struction at all. When he got stuck he went out on the 
street and consulted the first student that he ran across. 

He applied for admission to the school of the Norwe- 
gian mission society, but was turned away because he had 
been in Jail. A friend gave him some aid, enabling him to 
go to Berlin, Germany. Here he became acquainted with 


4i8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Mr. Boerresen, who occupied a good position as civil 
engineer. Mr. Boerresen, who was a warm friend of the 
missions, accompanied him to Procknow’s mission school, 
where he soon was admitted as a student. 

Only one year of a five-year course remained, but Mr. 
Skrefsrud graduated the following year at the head of his 
class. 

In 1863 the Goszner Mission Society sent him as a mi 
sionary to the Col people, his patriarchal friend, Mr. Boer- 
resen, having promised to follow him. 

At this time a war was raging between Germany an 1 
Denmark, and on account of national sympathies the Ger- 
man missionaries did not want to have two Scandinavians 
at the same station. 

The two friends now had their choice: They would 
either have to live apart or leave the German society. They 
chose the latter course, withdrawing from the society in 
1865. 

They came empty-handed to Calcutta, where they were 
allowed to stop at the house of some Bengali Christians. 

Next year, assisted by some friends of missions in In- 
dia, they began their work in Santhalistan. 

Not until 1874, when a correspondent of the London 
Times wrote an account of a visit to Ebenezer, did the 
people in Europe begin to pay attention to this mission, 
which even at that time had borne blessed fruits. And now 
the gifts began to flow in, especially from England and 
Scotland. 


MR SKREFSRUD AS A PEACE-MAKER 419 

In 1877 this mission was approved by the church of . 
Denmark, Mr. Boerresen, while on a visit to Denmark, be- 
ing formally ordained by Bishop Martensen. In 1883 the 
Norwegian church caused Mr. Skrefsrud to be ordained. 
From that time the contributions have been pouring in 
more liberally, and during the past ten years America has 
furnished a considerable percentage of the total receipts. 

Around these men a congregation of eleven thousand 
souls has grown up. Verily, a man who can point to 
such a strange and glorious past as this has something to 
be thankful for on his fifty-ninth birthday! 

But Mr. Skrefsrud has no time for rest. He must be 
in his harness to-day as at all other times. The intervals 
are not long between the arrivals of groups of people who 
have some quarrel or some knotty qustion which they 
want him to settle. 

A few days ago a woman came here and complained 
to Mrs. Boerresen that one of her neighbors, a heathen, 
would cheat her out of two rupees which she had lent him 
nine years previously. 

‘‘Are you a Christian?’’ Mrs. Boerresen asked. 

“Oh, yes, I have been a Christian for many years.” 

“Do you go to church?” 

“Sometimes.” 

“Well, I believe it is only sometimes, for I cannot 
remember that I have seen you here, at Ebenezer.” 

No, she had not been here so often. The distance is 
so much shorter to another church. 


420 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


^'Yuu better see Kerap Saheb about this. Maybe he 
can help you out.” 

Then she came to Mr. Skrefsrud. 

‘'Does he refuse to pay? What does he say?” 

“He claims that I have received the money.” 

“Bring the matter before the head-man, and if that 
does not help, then you may take the other party with 
you and come to me. I can do nothing until I have had 
a talk with him.” 

To-day that woman returned. 

The head-man, who is a Christian, his whole council, 
her father and brothers and the man that she accused 
accompanied her. They arranged themselves in a row 
outside of Mr. Skrefsrud’s room. 

He came out, saluted them and asked what was the 
trouble. The woman stepped up and kept her talking 
machinery in operation until Mr. Skrefsrud interrupted 
her by making questions. When he was through with her 
he gave the man a chance to defend himself. 

It was proved that during the nine years the woman 
had not asked for her money. But a short while before 
this, on a certain occasion, she had demanded the money. 
But the man maintained that he had paid the money back 
a short time after making the loan. 

“She has received the money,” was Mr. Skrefsrud’s 
verdict. Turning to the company, he said: “Do you 
believe that a Santhal woman could have two rupees com- 


V 


MR. SKREFSRUD AS' A PEACEMAKER. 


421 


ing to her for nine years without speaking about it to 
everybody?” 

“No,” they answered. “She would not have kept quiet 
for nine hours but would have gabbed about it on every 
occasion until the whole nation would have known about 
her investment.” 

“Are you satisfied with my verdict?”* 

“Yes,” answered the whole company, including her 
father, brothers and other relatives, as though it came 
from one mouth. 

The woman was severely reprimanded for claiming to 
be a Christian while she was behaving like a heathen. She 
had been excommunicated from the church a number of 
years before this happened, and she could not be regarded 
as a Christian until she had been converted. 

The two rupees cost about twenty men at least one 
day’s work each. But justice must prevail, you see. 

Now Mr. Skrefsrud is almost through with another 
case, the fourth one to-day. A heathen old woman and 
some Christians were at odds. The Christians supposed 
that they had done all they could to settle with her, and 
they had finally induced her to accompany them to Kerap. 

He gave a verdict to the effect that the Christians were 
wrong and the heathen woman right. The Christians 
themselves were also made to see the case in the same light, 
and they asked both the woman and Mr. Skrefsrud to for- 
give them. 

Some one might suppose that Christianity would suffer 


422 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


in the eyes of the heathen when the missionaries decide 
in favor of the heathen and against the Christians. But 
Mr. Skrefsrud assures me that it works the other way. The 
willingness of the Christians to ask forgiveness when they 
see that they have wronged a heathen is good testimony. 
The fact that the missionary decides in favor of the 
heathen when they know that they are right, strenghtens 
their confidence; and this has given the missionaries an 
opportunity to proclaim the gospel of God to many people 
whom it would be difficult to reach in any other way. 

In this district the people have gradually fallen into 
the habit of taking their quarrels to Mr. Skrefsrud instead 
of to the magistrates. The judge, a young Scotchman who 
administers justice in the open air about one mile from 
here, came here one evening. People had told him, he 
said, that he might as well leave the place, for they went to 
Kerap Saheb with their lawsuits anyway. 

Next day Mr. Skrefsrud was asked to take his Ameri- 
can friend with him and come to breakfast at the house of 
the judge. We accepted the invitation and spent a pleas- 
ant day with the judge and his family at the bungalow. 

But now it was found that the judge had something to 
do anyway. Twenty thousand Santhals had introduced 
one case each, and he did not see how he could dispose of 
all of them without doing injustice to some one. 

The Santhals had again borrowed money on their lands 
but refused to pay, because they knew of a law which states 
that their lands cannot be taken away from them. The 





WITH THE MAGISTRATES 


425 


money-lenders, who knew only too well that they could 
not foreclose their mortgages, promised to help the needy 
ones in the future if the Santhals would declare that the 
debtors were under obligations to pay. The judge thought 
the people ought to agree to this, and the twenty thous- 
and law-suits would be dismissed. But as he did not under- 
stand their language he could do nothing. 

Mr. Skrefsrud talked to the crowd for two hours. I 
had never heard him speak with such zeal as he did on this 
occasion. He gave an account of all the misfortunes which 
had befallen the Santhal people and demonstrated that 
all of them were due to sinful or foolish acts. Now they 
think it would be well done if they could cheat the money- 
lenders since a splendid opportunity is presenting itself. 
But it is unfair to take advantage of such chances; for 
thereby the Santhals prove themselves to be swindlers, 
and as such they will be as bad as the usurers. 

But the heathen, who listened attentively, stuck togeth- 
er and would not follow Mr. Skrefsrud’s advice. 

‘Tf I had not helped the people to obtain this law 
thirty years ago they would not have been guilty of this 
sin,’’ the missionary afterwards complained. ^‘But at that 
time I did not have the slightest idea that this regulation 
would lead the people into wholesale swindling. The idea 
of deliberately running into debt and afterwards declaring 
that no payment shall be made because there is no law to 
enforce it ! I never imagined that I should see the Santhals 
come to such a pass.’’ 


FORTIETH CHAPTER. 


School for Christian Children. — A Small Beginning. — English 
Abandoned. — Physical Labor. — High-School Plan Abandoned. 

(Written at Ebenezer in the latter part of February.) 

In modern missionary work it has been customary to 
‘'begin with the children.’’ Accordingly, the first task of 
the missionary after a house has been put up for him is to 
establish a school and give instruction to heathen children. 
Preaching to the grown people has generally been looked 
upon as a secondary matter. The missionary work of the 
Church of England, for instance, is almost exclusively 
educational. Most of the branches taught are secular, and 
for that reason even heathen parents will send their child- 
ren to the English mission schools. But the missionaries 
assume that this education will gradually attract the pupils 
to Christianity and finally make them join the church. 

When Messrs. Boerresen and Skrefsrud came here they 
pursued a different method. They had mapped out no 
plan for their work. "When the people in our native 
countries speak about the plan which Mr. Boerresen and 
I followed during the early years of our work out here,” 
Mr. Skrefsrud said in the course of a conversation a few 
[426] 


V 


SCHOOL FOR CFIRISTIAN CHILDREN 427 


evenings ago, ‘'they do not know what they are talking 
about ; for we had absolutely no plan at all. The head was 
not concerned in the work. It was the heart that drove us 
on and on, and we went straight ahead the way the nose 





The Seminary. 

pointed. And the definite plan which is obvious at present 
is the result of a gradual development. When we made a 
blunder we tried to avoid a repetition of it; but when a 
method proved successful we adhered to it; and thus our 
plan is based on long years of experience.” 


428 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


There must be some reason, however, why they did not 
start schools for children like other missionaries. The 
apostles of our Master did not begin with children’s schools 
either. They appealed to the parents, and there were good 
reasons for doing so, though they themselves did not have 
a clear view of the situation. It did not occur to them to 
begin differently. They did only what the Spirit impelled 
them to do. Did not Messrs. Boerresen and Skrefsrud do 
the same? 

Mr. Skrefsrud said in an address made in Kristiania in 
1882; ‘We did not want to begin with schools. I shall 
tell you why we did not do so. When you begin \^'ith 
young children most of your time will be devoted to the 
teaching of common branches, leaving but little time for 
religious instruction. In the Scotch missions in India, for 
instance, five hours a day are devoted to secular work and 
only one hour to instruction in Christianity. But I would 
never devote five-sixths of my life to common things. I 
wanted to use all six-sixths for the propagation of the king- 
dom of God. Besides, when a person is engaged in school 
work six hours of the day he is fagged out and made unfit 
for going out to preach to grown people. Still another 
fact must be borne in mind. When the children return 
home from school the good impressions which their young 
hearts have received — and they must never be underesti- 
mated — ^will be neutralized in the pagan family life, where 
the Word of God has obtained no foot-hold; for family life 
is stronger than the individual life in the children. For these 


SCHOOL FOR CHRISTIAN CHILDREN 429 

reasons we did not begin by establishing schools. We went 
to the fathers and mothers and applied the old gospel, 
which the apostles and their followers used, to their hearts 
that we might, by the grace of God, have them converted. 
If they were converted they had a mission society in their 
house at once, and the children came of their own accord, 
giving us both old and young at the same time. Thus we 
established the conditions of a healthy development of 
family life, of a Christian family life, and this must be the 
foundation of a Christian social life.’’ 

These two men may now point to a congregation hav- 
ing almost eleven thousand souls and two schools with a 
combined attendance of about five hundred; but the 
schools are a fruit of the congregation, and not the reverse. 

But as a result we also find that the difference between 
these and other mission schools is obvious. The other day 
I accompanied Mr. Skrefsrud on a trip to Suri, where we 
visited a Christian school for girls. All the children were 
very neatly dressed, and when Mr. Skrefsrud held the 
books before them even the smallest ones could read well. 
But one thing struck me at once : only a few of the pupils 
had Christian parents. How could I tell? The difference 
is conspicuous in these parts. The children of Christian 
parents do not present the same appearance as those of 
pagan parents. When you see little girls wearing one, two 
or three rings in their noses and others in their ears and on 
their arms and toes you need not suspect their parents of 
being Christians. 


430 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Pay a visit to the schools at Ebenezer, and you will 
receive an entirely different impression. Not all of its pupils 
distinguish themselves by an exemplary behavior. But in 
most cases they have a mother who follows them with her 
best wishes, though she may not always be able to enforce 
them. They are all there for the purpose of acquiring a 
Christian education, and almost without exception they 
seem to be the children of Christian parents. 

These missionaries did not begin their work by opening 
a school for heathen children. They began their work by 
preparing the ground where the tender plants were to 
grow, that they might receive proper nourishment and care 
at home. Besides, they had a small school for young men. 
The result of this work is a great congregation with thou- 
sands of Christian homes, where the children may receive 
a Christian education from their earliest infancy. But the 
fruit of this arrangement is, that the mission at Ebenezer 
has a school for boys and another for girls which may not 
only be pointed to as standard institutions but which also 
are of greater importance to the mission, and perhaps 
to civilization in general, than any other mission school 
in India. 

The children do not come here to learn to be Christ- 
ians. They are Christians. Nor do they come to acquire 
useful knowledge. They are sent here by Christian parents 
to develop into good, firm, useful Christian men and 
women who love their people, who will work and rest, live 
and die among them and who will assist in lifting their race 



4 


A SMALL BEGINNING 


431 


from its present social and religious degradation. This is 
the aim of these schools. 

The result is what might be predicted. In this mission 
field there are not many half-learned pagan villains who 
have lost faith in the gods of their fathers without having 
learnt to know and love their Creator, believing nothing 
and sneering at everything, even at their own relatives and 
race, anxious to go out into the wide world, where their 
learning and cleverness will be better appreciated that at 
their plain, insignificant homes. Such characters are the 
general fruits of Christian schools for the children of 
heathen parents. Such schools succeed in depriving the 
young people of their faith in the old gods and in impart- 
ing a large amount of knowledge to them. But as a rule 
they become free-thinkers and conceited fools, and this is 
a poor fruit from the work of Christian missionaries. 

The schools at Ebenezer were not built in one day. In 
regard to the school for boys there was not a little vacil- 
lation. When the missionaries came here they did not 
know the language. But as the people generally under- 
stand Bengali they could talk with them at once anyway. 
They had a young Bengali with them. He was not only 
an ardent Christian but was also highly educated. His 
name is Hezekias Das. He was the first school-master of 
the Santhals, and he is still here. But the missionaries did 
not like the idea of teaching the boys in the Bengali lan- 
guage. They wanted to educate the young people in such 
a way as to make Santhals out of them. They wanted to 


43 ^ 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


teach them to love their race and their mother tongue in 
order that the treasures stored up in their minds might* 
through them become germs of life in Santhal soil. On 
that account the instruction was given in the mother 
tongue of the pupils at the earliest possible date. 

At first the work was greatly hampered because there 
were no text books in Santhali. But the teacher, who had 
learnt Santhali, translated one lesson after the other from 
his Bengali books and gave them to his pupils orally. Later 
on, when Mr. Skrefsrud had written or translated a number 
of text books, the work went on more smoothly and rapid- 
ly. 

On my trip through the country in company with Mr. 
Boerresen I met a presiding elder one Sunday who could 
make himself fairly well understood in Englisch. He said 
that he had learnt it in Ebenezer many years ago. When 
I told this to Mr. Boerresen he said, “Well, he is from the 
time when we felt big and wanted to teach the boys Eng- 
lish, you see. Our intentions were good, but we soon 
found that we were on a wrong track.” 

“How so?” 

“Well, we did not come here to turn out gentlemen. 
We only intended to make good, hard-working Chri.stian 
Santhals out of the boys. But we found that as soon as 
they had a smattering of English our school as well as San- 
thalistan and their own nation became too small ‘or them. 
They wanted to go to English schools in Calcutta, and 
if they came that far they would no longer own their 


ENGLISH ABANDONED 


433 


Santhal origin. Thus they were lost to their own people 
and were of no use to the mission. It was not our inten- 
tion to educate single individuals in order that they might 
be able to find employment outside of Santhalistan, leaving 
us to continue the work without their aid. We thought of 
the whole people, and we wanted to make our school a 
means of educating young people who would remain in the 
country and swell our stock of laborers for the salvation 
of this nation. Therefore we dropped the English 
language.’’ 

Thenceforth Santhali was the language generally used 
at the school for several years. 

From the very beginning some time was instinctively 
devoted to farm work, the construction of roads, the 
digging of ditches etc. But the missionaries gradually 
found that this work was a necessary means of developing 
the moral as well as the physical capacities of the boys. 
Physical labor, therefore, was made a regular part of the 
courses. In this particular branch the^ Bengali teacher 
proved himself to be a born pedagogue. 

But the idea arose that the boys at least ought to 
receive a more advanced education, and a sort of high 
school system was introduced, with Bengali as the chief 
language. This system was pursued a few years, and one 
boy actually passed high school examinations with a 
fairly good standing. 

But the missionaries again found that they were on a 
wrong track. The college-spirit entered the school. The 


434 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


students became “whimsical,” as Mr. Skrefsrud said, and 
this the missionaries would not tolerate. Mr. Boerresen 
says, “This kind of education proved too much for them. 
It turned them into conceited dudes who could not feel at 
home amidst their simple surroundings.” 

As soon as this became clear to the missionaries the 
high-school plan, with Bengali as the leading language, 
was abandoned, and Hezekias Das, who meanwhile had 
taught in the school for girls, was again made principal of 
the school for boys, which institution was replaced on its 
old basis. The examinations are still conducted in Bengali ; 
but the work of translating and writing matter for text- 
books in Santhali is steadily progressing, the ultimate aim 
being to use Santhali exclusively as a means of instruction 
and to treat Bengali only as a foreign language. 

Bright boys of an advanced age who are expected to 
become able missionaries among their own people may 
enter what we would call a theological class, but which is 
called a Bible class. Mr. Skrefsrud gives instruction one 
hour a day in this class. 


\ 


FORTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 


School for Girls. — The Condition of Santahl- Women. — Mrs, Boer- 
resen's School. — Spring Life. — Harvest. — Piety. — Discipline. — Care ot 
The Sick. — Seeds of Christian Life. 

The Santhal woman, considering that she is in India, 
occupies an anomalous position. Among the Hindus — 
and the Mohammedans too, for that matter — ^woman is 
practically a slave. A Hindu will buy a bridegroom for his 
daughter while she is yet an infant, and if she belongs to 
a higher caste she must show her face to no man but the 
monster whose wife she has become. If she belongs to a 
low caste she may move about in the open air, but only in 
order to work as her husband’s slave. The Hindu looks 
upon every walking, flying, swimming and creeping thing 
as sacred, considering it a sin to step on a wretched worm ; 
but woman is always subject to his oppression and abuse. 

Not so among the Santhals. Here she is “the master of 
the situation.” She must perform most of the drudgery. " 
But she does not work as the man’s slave, she does it as 
the master of the house. The Santhal woman is naturally 
active. She does not only care for the management of the 
[ 435 ] 


436 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


house, but her husband generally forgets his farm-work 
until she reminds him that the time has come for doing it, 
and she may have to tell him twice before he stirs. But 
he must get out, for she has a tongue which he cannot re- 
sist in the long run, no matter how fond he may be of his 
rest. After he is put in motion he can work; but his wife 
must furnish the motive power; or else his affairs will go to 
wreck and ruin for lack of care and foresight. 

The above facts easily explain the prominent position 
occupied by the girls’ school in this mission. What is 
done for the boys is of great importance and cannot well 
be overestimated. But in regard to the mission the educa- 
tion of the Santhal women is many times more important. 

The aim of the school for boys is to develop characters 
rather than to impart a certain amount of positive know- 
ledge. 

But the same may also be said of the school for girls. 
There is this difference, however, that the latter has been 
subjected to no vacillation. A fixed and definite plan has 
been followed from the very beginning, and this plan has 
been enforced with a firmness which I venture to charac- 
terize as unique. 

It is Mrs. Boerresen’s school. Of this woman I may 
say without fear of exaggeration that she is the soul of the 
mission at Ebenezen With due regard for Messrs. Boerre- 
sen and Skrefsrud it is my firm conviction, that without 
this woman the Santhal mission would not have been what 
it is, Mr. Skrefsrud, with his clear head and his fiery Nor- 


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SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 


439 


wegian heart, needs Mr. Boerresen, with his peaceful 
Danish temper, in order to be kept in equilibrium. 

But in a work the goal of which is far away, where 
trifles are fraught with great moment, where the same 
things must be done over and over again from day to day, 
where days and years must pass before any fruit can be 
expected, where a person can see no progress and ‘yet 
remain patient — there is an opportunity for Mrs. Boerre- 
sen’s powers. 

And these powers are felt there. But they are most 
strikingly manifested in the school for girls, which is con- 
fided to her special care. 

This school is an educational institution in the strict- 
est sense of the word. I have repeatedly visited the school 
and have ascertained to my entire satisfaction that the 
pupils, as far as general information is concerned, are 
fully abreast of the pupils of the ‘^intermediate schools’^ 
of Europe, and many a European lady would find it dif- 
ficult to match their needle-work. 

To learn the lessons and do the class work covers only 
the minor part of the program of this school. Only a few 
hours are devoted to instruction, but the pupils are busy 
from five o’clock in the morning till nine o’clock at 
night. I have been here more than two months, and yet 
I have failed to see these girls have any time to spare for 
play. They must do all the work. There are no servants. 
They must do their own washing, chop their own fire- 
wood, thresh their own grain, cook their own rice, dry 


440 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


it, hull it — and also that of the boys — cook their own 
food, nurse their sick comrades, keep watch at night, 
take care of the geese, ducks, chickens and goats, turn 
them out in the morning and see that they are all there 
at night, clean the goat-shed and the cow-shed in the 
morning, sweep the court-yard, wash it with a mixture 
of dirt and cow-dung to keep it srriooth and clean, take 
care of the small children which have been confided to 
the school but which are not yet able to take care of them- 
selves — in short, do everything which a Santhal woman 
will have to do at home. 

In the court-yard of the school everything is life and 
activity. But there is method and order in it. Not only 
is the arrangement such, that everything is done, and done 
at the right time; but the girls are divided into groups 
which take regular turns, giving every one of them an 
opportunity to perform every kind of work. For instance, 
those who do the cooking one week may have to clean the 
stable the next week. A girl who, under Mr. Skrefsrud’s 
guidance, has translated six books from Bengali into San- 
thali in the course of the past year, may teach one day 
and collect cow-dung the next day, picking it up with her 
bare hands and carrying it away in a basket on her head. 

‘These girls,’’ Mrs. Boerresen said to me one day, 
“must learn everything that a woman has to do. It is 
a hard task, but some day they will reap the benefit of it. 
I thought my lot was a hard one myself when mother 
made me get up early in the morning to cook coffee 


SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 


44/ 


while our servant-girl was yet sleeping. But I had to 
do this every other week. One week I was compelled to 
cook coffee for the servant-girl, and the next week she 
treated me the same way. I had to wash my own clothes, 
and even to mend my own shoes. Not because I needed 
it, for my parents were in easy circumstances. Mother 
used to say when I complained: ‘It is not easy to tell; 
maybe the circumstances will compel you to do the work 
yourself, and then it will be very expedient to know how 
to do it. And if you are to have a servant-girl, you will 
know from experience what she has to do.’ When I had 
to iron clothes in the forenoon until my fingers were 
sore, I wept because my music teacher would see it when 
he came at three o’clock in the afternoon. But mother 
cheered me by assuring me that it was no shame either 
for me or my music teacher to work. In this wise I 
learned to work and to be thrifty, and often indeed it 
has stood me in good stead. Thus I have also been in a 
position to render the Santhal girls some aid.” 

“It would be comparatively easy to make ladies out 
of these little girls,” Mrs. Boerresen said on another oc- 
casion. “But it would be a pity to handle them in that 
way, in regard to themselves as well as in regard to the 
Santhal people. We cannot think only of the individuals. 
We must think of educating good wives for Christian San- 
thals and good mothers for the coming generation. We 
must educate them in such a way that they do not feel too 
refined to return to and live in Santhal homes. For that 


442 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


reason they must learn to do everything that the Santhals 
do, only so much better/’ 

The girls must also learn to do spring and fall work. 
During the rainy season it is difficult to keep them in- 
doors. The nature of the Santhal woman craves for out- 
door life at that time of the year. 

^The man may walk thoughtlessly behind his plow,” 
says Mrs. Boerresen, ‘‘chew his tobacco and smoke his 
home-made cigar while his wife must see that everything 
is done in the proper time. ' This tendency is manifested 
even in my school for girls. As soon as it begins to rain 
they ask, at first almost in a whisper, whether it is time to 
get out and carry manure and spread it on the rice fields. 

“ ‘Not yet,’ I answer them. 

“ ‘Oh, but time flies, and it will soon be too late, 
mamma.’ 

“ ‘Oh, well, we’ll see to that,’ I tell them, and they keep 
quiet for a time. 

“Then they begin to work the teacher: ‘Can’t we 
soon go into the fields?’ 

“ ‘Mamma will see to that,’ he assures them. But they 
keep on telling him that it will soon be too late, and 
finally he comes to me and states that every girl’s mind is 
full of spring thoughts and that no work can be done in 
the school. 

“At last they are permitted to go, partly because they 
need to come out, partly because the work must be done. 
But now they work too. The underground reservoir into 
which the manure has been thrown is emptied and its 


SPRING LIFE 


443 


contents carried out on a parcel of ground. Rice is sown 
thickly in this richly manured ground. When this task 
is finished the girls cheerfully resume their school work 
with renewed vigor. 

''Later in the season they begin to ask whether the 
rice-plants are big enough for transplanting. 

" 'No.’ 

"After a while they begin to ask the teachers whether 
the boys have commenced to transplant their rice. 

" 'No.’ 

"Then they make themselves sweet and ask for per- 
mission to go out and see how the rice is doing, and 
they are allowed to go out in company with papa. 

"They return rejoicing: 'The rice is tall enough, 

mamma; now we must go out and transplant it.’ 

"But then I tell them that this year we must get women 
from the villages to do it because the work done at school 
has been so unsatisfactory that they cannot pass the ex- 
aminations if they are to transplant th^ rice too. This 
is sad news to the girls. They complain to the teacher 
that they will not be allowed to transplant the rice this 
year, for mamma has told them that if they do this work 
they cannot pass their examinations. 

"When the teacher tells them that they can both trans- 
plant the rice and pass the examinations within six weeks 
provided they make good use of their time, a faint hope is 
again kindled in them. He may also add that he will 
plead their cause with mamma if he soon finds that they 
are making progress. This is a signal for taking hold of 


444 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the books with a will, and as soon as the rain sets in and 
the rice-fields are under water there is an exodus at the 
school. 

“The girls present a picture of great animation while 
engaged in this work! The big girls pull up the plants 
in small bunches, and the little ones plant them in the 
rice-field which has been worked into a semi-liquid mass. 
The work is done so rapidly and cheerfully that the ob- 
server will find it a source of keen pleasure. The trans- 
planting of the rice always imparts new life and zest to the 
school work. 

“In the fall they are equally anxious to get out. They 
think it is very great fun to fetch the rice from the fields. 
They carry it in big bundles on their heads. They always 
stop outside the house and shout to mamma, that I may 
come and see how well they are doing their work. They 
drop the rice in their court-yard, where the Santhals 
thrash it by driving their oxen over it. The girls after- 
wards separate it from the straw and chaff and carry 
it into the store-house.” 

These little girls take things seriously. They love this 
place, and they actually look up to Mrs. Boerresen as 
to their mother. They rise before day-light in the morn- 
ing. They sleep on the hard floor in the night. But 
they know of nothing better, and it is a part of the system 
of this school to avoid molly-coddling. When the biggest 
have assisted the smallest and all are on their feet they 
leave their court-yard and say their morning prayers in 
front of Mrs. Boerresen’s window. Many a morning have 



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PIETY 


447 


I been aroused from my sleep by their singing. One of the 
oldest girls leads in prayer, and all of them repeat the 
Lord’s Prayer in chorus. They finally pronounce their 
^‘Johar Mamma !” sp that it may be heard throughout the 
premises, and as soon as she answers from the inside they 
return and begin to work. 

But it often happens that girls who are laboring under 
serious mental affliction come and knock at mamma’s 
window in the night to seek spiritual aid and advice, and 
many a night she has been compelled to wake with one 
after another of her little girls, comforting and guiding 
them, weeping and praying with and for them. 

Disobedience is not unknown, but very little of it is 
tolerated. From the very beginning, trifling matters are 
handled with such earnestness and thoroughness that there 
is practically no ground for weeds of this kind. 

The vicious habits which the girls have contracted at 
home before coming to school are very difficult to get rid 
of. But in this case the older girls render valuable aid. 
When a new pupil is admitted the arrangement of the de- 
tails is such that it is not left exclusively to the principal 
to cut away the weeds, but the efforts of many are con- 
centrated upon the new arrival until she has learnt to 
behave herself well. 

Occasionally a young wife is brought here by her hus- 
band and relatives, who implore Mrs. Boerresen to make 
a decent woman out of her. Mrs. Boerresen generally 
admits her to the company of her little girls, and in most 


44 ^ 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


cases the attempt proves so successful that the woman 
is sent back to her husband as a new creature. 

A woman of this kind was brought here by her father 
and husband. She had run' away from home several times 
and had behaved like a brute. She had one baby under her 
arm and was expected to give birth to another at any 
time. Could mamma do anything with her? 

''Oh, yes, come here, my girl,’’ said Mrs. Boerresen. 
The woman wanted to hand her baby to her husband, but 
Mrs. Boerresen told her to keep it. 

Mrs. Boerresen introduced the woman to the girls 
in this wise : "This woman is not happy, and she does not 
behave well. She has run away from her husband several 
times, and now he and her father have brought her to 
us. She is to stay here until she learns to behave well.” 

They all knew what this meant, and they immediately 
began to devote their attention to her. She tried to be 
mean and cross and refused to work. She would not even 
take care of her own child. At first her waywardness 
had to be checked by means of coercion. But the ceaseless 
attention paid to her by the girls, the self-sacrificing love 
which she witnessed during her confinement and their 
daily prayers for her broke the ice, and some time after- 
wards she made her husband happy by returning home 
with her two little ones. 

The mutual affection of these girls is most strikingly 
shown when one of their number is sick. Some one is 
on the sick list most of the time. The girls care for the 
sick by turns, affording all of them some experience in 


CARE OF THE SICK 


449 


nursing the sick. Mrs. Boerresen states that they are 
‘'unsurpassable’’ in this particular work, being far supe- 
rior to all the trained European sick-nurses known to her. 
They seem to feel the exact condition of the sick and 
to know to a dot how a pillow must be placed and the 
patient turned, and their gentleness and adroitness are 
truly marvelous. 

The girls generally remain here until they are married, 
and as wives they are in great demand. A young Santhal 
can think of no higher happiness in life than to obtain 
a wife from Mrs. Boerresen’s school, and every now and 
then a boy approaches Mrs. Boerresen and begs her to aid 
him in winning this or that one of her girls for a wife. 
If he proves himself to be a young man of good character 
she is apt to see that they are united in marriage. 

In this way the pupils of Mrs. Boerresen’s school are 
scattered as seed throughout the country, and to one 
who travels among the people the results are already 
clearly discernible. The rule is, that such a woman not 
only makes a good house-wife, but she soon becomes a 
power among the women of her village. They learn to 
look up to her as to no one else, her advice will be sought 
and her words listened to, and whatever she does they will 
try to imitate ; for she has been with “mamma”. 

As Mrs. Boerresen is the soul in the missionary work 
of this place, so is her school for girls the most exquisite 
flower of this mission ; and it is no wonder that Mr. Skrefs- 
rud speaks so highly of it in his letters. 


FORTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 


Indian Railways. — Cawnpur. — The Rebellion of 1857. — The Mas- 
sacre. 

Well, sir, how cheaply a man may wind his way through 
the world anyway. Mr. Boerresen told me that during the 
early days of his career as a missionary he would always 
travel in third-class railway cars when he was out raising 
money. I noted this and reasoned to myself: if he could 
do it I can do it too. 

In a third-class car you may travel five miles for two 
cents, but in a first-class car you must pay three cents for 
one mile. A poor man finds a big heap of difference be- 
tween the two. 

In most trains there are third-class cars which have 
a compartment for Europeans alone. This is generally 
empty. 

At Rampur Hat I settled down in such a compartment, 
went to bed and awoke the next morning after having 
traveled two hundred and eleven miles for two rupees and 
eight annas, or a little over eighty cents. 

Five miles for two cents! Does that pay? 

Those who built the railways in India knew before- 

(450] 


INDIAN RAILWAYS 


4SI 

hand that the people simply could not afford to use this 
means of travel if the charges were put higher. On this 
account no railroads were built until the government 
guaranteed five per cent interest on the capital invested 
in a railway approved by the government. And even 
then the capitalists hardly dared to enter the field. But 
when the first lines were opened it did not take long to 
demonstrate that the capital was well invested, and subse- 
quently new lines were constructed by one company after 
another without any guaranty. 

When the government guaranteed a return of five per 
cent it was foresighted enough to reserve to itself the 
right to appropriate the whole railway if it should choose 
to do so. The government has not only made use of this 
right by appropriating several trunk lines, but it has 
also built new lines on its own account. It is becoming 
more and more evident that these railways, with their low 
rates, constitute the most promising resources on which 
the government may draw for revenue. 

Bishop J. M. Thoburn, an American citizen who has 
spent half a century in India, writes on this subject as 
follows : 

‘‘American statesmen might profitably take a leaf out 
of this chapter of Indian history. The American people 
have been strangely reckless in throwing away valuable 
franchises of this kind, especially in the great cities. The 
American railway system, if properly controlled, might 
easily be made to pay all the expenses of the various state 
governments, and thus relieve the people of the heavy 


452 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


burden of direct taxation under which they are becoming 
somewhat restive.’’ 

We continue the journey and step off the cars at 
Cawnpur. 

The mere mention of this place makes everyone shud- 
der who is acquainted with the history of India. It is the 
most horrifying event in the history of the wars of the 
nineteenth century which more than anything else has 
made Cawnpur known. 

It occurred during the Indian revolution, or the mutiny 
of the Indian army, in 1857. 

The East India Company, which from time to time had 
subdued one people greater and mightier than the other, 
became more and more daring for every victory, and one 
war with native rulers was followed by another until the 
company, contrary, as it seems, to all considerations of 
justice, annexed the kingdom of Oudh. The army main- 
tained by the company had to be recruited continually 
with native soldiers until at many places only the officers 
were Englishmen. 

The disgruntled princes who had been made dependent 
were of course brooding on vengeance, and they soon suc- 
ceeded in arousing discontent and suspicion among the 
native soldiery. Messengers were sent from camp to 
camp, where they pointed out the tyranny of the English 
and the suffering of the people in the darkest colors. 

New rifles were introduced in the army. The cartrid- 
ges for the rifles were greased. This afforded an oppor- 


THE REBELLION OF 1857 


453 


tumty. Now every one could see for himself! The grease 
was a mixture of lard and ox-tallow. Would Mohamme- 
dan and Hindu soldiers allow themselves to be compelled 
to touch such cartridges? Fat from the hog would make 
the Mohammedan impure, and the Hindu would be guilty 
of sacrilege by using ox-tallow for such unholy purposes. 

This consideration decided the matter, and the rebel- 
lion broke out. 

In Cawnpur there were three thousand native soldiers 
and only sixty English officers. The European popula- 
tion of the city was close to one thousand, among whom 
were several missionaries and their families. 

About three weeks after the opening of the rebellion 
the commander at Cawnpur was deserted by all but eighty 
native soldiers. He had to leave the fort, hurriedly gath- 
ered and armed three hundred men and built breastworks 
on an open square, where the European women and chil- 
dren also found a place of refuge. For three weeks the 
Europeans defended themselves night and day against a 
ceaseless storm of shot and shell, the hunger and thirst 
ever increasing and the heat rising to 138 degrees Fahren- 
heit. Two hundred and fifty had lost their lives during 
the struggle, but the survivors still proposed to keep their 
ground. 

When Nana Saheb, the leader of the rebellion, who 
had three thousand armed men under his command, failed 
to defeat the few famished men who yet remained, he 
promised to procure food for them, carry them and the 


454 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


women and children in boats to Allahabad and protect 
them from all harm if they only would surrender. 

Pressed by the utmost distress, the English accepted 
the ofifer and surrendered. But as soon as the defense- 
less captives reached the Ganges a signal was given and 
they were butchered without compunction, only four men 
escaping. At the order of Nana Saheb two hundred 
women and children were spared, but only to suffer a still 
worse fate. 

As soon as this terrible massacre was reported an 
army was sent out to liberate the captured women and 
children. Under the command of Gen. Havelock the 
army marched night and day incessantly. They were 
brave men, who defied heat and thirst, foes and jungles. 
They moved forward irresistibly. Everything in their way 
had to yield. But when they came to Cawnpur all their 
efforts proved to have been made in vain. A few days 
previously Nana Saheb had sent out five men to dispatch 
those that the army had come to save. 

The day after the butchery had taken place several of 
the victims were yet alive. The dead bodies were seized 
by the hair and dragged into a dry well, and the dying ones 
went the same way. Three small children which had been 
overlooked ran around the grave of their mothers weep- 
ing. No mercy; they were thrown alive into the well 
with the rest. 

When the soldiers came and saw what had happened 
their craving for revenge rose to a frenzy, and their be- 


THE MASSACRE 


455 

havior is disgraced by a cruelty almost equal to that of 
the deeds perpetrated according to Nana’s orders. 

If it is assumed that Gen. Havelock’s army came to 
Cawnpur in the name of Christianity, civilization and hu- 



“The Memorial Well.” 


manity we can easily understand why the English prefer 
not to speak of this event. 

‘‘Of what took place, the less said is the better,” 
says Sir G. O. Trevelyan. But the native witnesses, of 
whom thousands are still in a position to speak, do not 


4S6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


keep silent. They will tell it to their children and grand- 
children, and according to this conduct they will judge the 
white man’s Christianity and humanity. And when the 
missionary preaches the gospel of Christ it is no wonder 
that some of the most simple-minded will ask: ‘What is 
the use of dropping paganism and adopting a religion 
which permits such revenge as this?” 

Sir Trevelyan says: “But there was a spectacle to 
witness which might excuse much.” He is right. But 
if palliating circumstances are to be taken into considera- 
tion on one side, why in the name of justice should not 
the same rule be applied to the other side ! Or maybe 
some impartial reader of the history of India finds that the 
natives of India have nothing to avenge? No educated 
Englishman will make such an assertion. An abused 
pagan people which is stirred by fanatics will always be 
cruel in wreaking vengeance. No better can be expected. 
But when an English army enacts a drama which an Eng- 
lish historian is ashamed of narrating in detail the affair 
is made two-told nauseating. 

Above the well which keeps the dust of the two hun- 
dred women and children a large and beautiful monument 
has been erected in the midst of a thirty-acre park. The 
place is known as “The Memorial Well.” 


FORTY-THIRD CHAPTER. 


Lucknow, — An Awkward Position. — Overcrowded Hotels. — The 
Siege of 1857. — High Prices. — At the Ruins of the English Residency. 
— Kalsomined Palaces. — The Bazaars of Lucknow, 

Lucknow is located forty miles from Cawnpur. 

This city is evidently within the bounds of civiliza- 
tion, for magnificent horse races occurred there just as 
I was passing through those parts. 

The hotels were packed, and no one cared for cus- 
tomers from the trains. 

It was late at night, the streets were dark, and there 
was no vehicle to be had. 

What should a stranger do who did not understand an 
iota of the language of the land? Slim comfort could be 
extracted from an employe at the station who simply 
pointed into the dark toward the European quarter, where 
the hotels are located. I tried to walk. Am not afraid 
in the dark, but one might go astray, and it looked like 
damp weather. Gave it up and returned to the waiting- 
room. 

Then came a humane soul, whom I shall never forget, 
and assisted me to a seat for four annas in a carriage 
[457] 


4S8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


which scarcely afforded room for its driver. I took him 
to be a Mohammedan. He may have been a Christian, 
however, for all I know. I hardly think he was a Hindu, 
for he was not afraid of approaching me. 

But I frankly confess that I did my very best to com- 
press my diminutive figure still more in order not to be 
too closely connected with him. 

In my mind I may have wronged the man. But it 
was so dark, and my former experiences with such coach- 
men aroused uncomfortable notions in me, and if the 
readers had seen me by the side of this man they would 
scarcely have thought more of the author of this book 
than they do now. 

But the man performed a good deed. He brought me 
into a humiliating situation, perhaps without his own 
knowledge, and he took me to the best hotel in Lucknow. 
It was not his fault that there was no room to spare. 
We charge that up to our civilization, our humanity and 
the horse races. But I met with well-bred people, who 
kindly conducted me from one over-crowded hotel to an- 
other. 

At last we came to a house which was named after 
the Prince of Wales, and which still had room to spare. 

Whoever has traveled some and seen some of the dif- 
ferent parts of the world is not left in ignorance as to a 
house when it bears the name of the English heir apparent 
above the door or his picture on the wall. This may 
mean more than good board. I actually experienced some 
misgivings. But the situation practically left me no choice. 


THE SIEGE OF 1857 


459 


The food I shall not criticize. There was no lack of drink- 
ables, but I left them all untouched. I spent the night 
without serious detriment to my health, and for this I 
thank the Lord more than I do the proprietor of ‘‘Hotel 
the Prince of Wales.’’ 

Lucknow! What may be said of Lucknow? 

Pull out the handbook! This says a great deal about 
Lucknow. 

It is the long siege during the rebellion of 1857 which 
has made Lucknow famous. 

But the hand-book does not begin there. It first tells 
us that the city is several miles long and has several hun- 
dred thousand inhabitants, and that it was the capital 
city of the kingdom of Oudh, which was annexed by the 
East India Company the year before the rebellion. 

At the breaking out of the rebellion the new province 
was governed by Sir Henry Lawrence as chief commis- 
sioner. 

On a high elevation outside the city a commanding 
position was occupied by the residency with its offices and 
family accommodations. 

As soon as Sir Lawrence heard of the rebellion and 
noticed the restlessness of the natives in his own garri- 
son he prepared for a long siege by putting up defenses 
around the residency. 

On the thirtieth of June the rebellion broke out in 
earnest. Sir Lawrence set out with his forces to nip the 
row in the bud, but was repulsed with a heavy loss. With 
730 white and 480 loyal native soldiers and 500 women 


460 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and children he was forced to withdraw inside the en- 
closure of the residency, and this marked the beginning 
of the siege of Lucknow. 

Three days after the beginning of the siege, Sir Henry 
Lawrence, who was sick in bed, was struck by a fragment 
of a bombshell which was thrown through the wall and 
exploded in the room. He was mortally wounded and 
died the next day. His successor fell three weeks later. 

Uninterruptedly, night and day, the fire was kept up 
by the enemy. But the besieged defended themselves 
week after week with unflinching heroism and courage. 

One assault after another failed. The enemy built 
mines and dug trenches, but all were discovered in due 
time. The buildings were riddled by bullets on all sides, 
yet they remained standing as proud as ever. The small- 
pox, cholera and other diseases combined with poor and 
insufficient food and oppressive heat, made the situation 
more critical from day to day. The number of able-bodied 
men grew smaller and smaller. But relief was expected 
from Cawnpur, and no one spoke of surrendering. 

The enemy attempted to storm the residency on the 
twentieth of July, but were repulsed. On the tenth of Au- 
gust a similar attempt was made, but with similar results 
Over one-half of the little garrison had already lost their 
lives; but the courage of the survivors never flagged. 
On the eighteenth of August a fresh assault was made. 
But as the enemy encountered the same stubborn resist- 
ance as before they soon withdrew to their entrenchments. 

On the fifth of September a loyal native, who had 


THE SIEGE OF 1857 


461 

stolen through the ranks of the enemy, brought news 
from General Havelock and General Outram that they were 
on their way to Lucknow with reinforcements. This was 
a source of fresh courage. But the struggle had to be 
kept up another twenty days before the reinforcements 
arrived. 

And when they did come they brought no relief. The 
two generals had been compelled to fight their way every 
inch until they reached Lucknow. But to cut a way 
through the city up to the residency cost more lives than 
what now remained of the beleaguered garrison. The re- 
inforcements were in the city. But to get out again with 
the women and children, the sick and wounded was in im- 
possibility. The very best they could do was to keep their 
ground until the arrival of fresh reinforcements. 

The siege was continued. The enemy were busily 
engaged in keeping up the fire. The main building of 
the residency began to tumble down, and several of the 
adjacent buildings were shot down. But the defense was 
managed as usual and with similar results. 

On the twelfth of November Sir Colin Campbell’s 
guns were heard, and a few days later the British flag was 
seen waving over Martiniere College, which he had 
stormed. This gave the garrison fresh hope. 

From the residency Sir Colin’s army could soon be 
seen approaching, continuously wading through blood, 
for the bayonets had to be used at almost every step 
for a distance of eight English miles. 

It was a horrible butchery and a terrible struggle. 


462 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


At a large stone building in a garden about two thousand 
men had gathered to check the progress of the English. 
They fought to the last man. Not one of them surren- 
dered, but the butchery went on until they were all killed. 

General Havelock could soon run the risk of stepping 
outside the residency to receive Sir Colin Campbell, who 
now was the real savior of the garrison. 

But even now the English did not feel strong enough 
to hold the city. Sir Colin Campbell therefore resolved 
to withdraw to Cawnpur with his army until it could be 
reinforced, and to forward all civilians, women and chil- 
dren and sick persons to Calcutta. 

On a dark night the whole party broke up from the 
residency and passed silently through the city without the 
knowledge of the enemy. 

In Lucknow there was no lack of persons who were 
willing to conduct a stranger and show him all the sights 
of the city. Remembering my experiences in Bombay, 
however, I made up my mind to ascertain the charges as 
well as the linguistic endowments of my customer. 

Several of them stood the test as to the English lan- 
guage. That is to say, I could understand a fractional 
part of what they said. But the charges! They asked 
for double wages, and more too. Chandray would gladly 
have worked a whole month for what these guides de- 
manded for one day’s service. And not a single one of 
them looked better than he did. 

But the races received the blame. They had attracted 


HIGH PRICES 


463 


so many Europeans to the city, and practically every one 
of these had to have a local guide. This extraordinary 
demand of course hoisted the charges to an abnormal 
height. 

The same state of affairs among the cabmen. Two 
prices combined in one. All on account of the races, of 
course. If the charges were too high I was to blame my- 
self. I ought to have chosen another time for seeing the 
sights of Lucknow. No poor man should go there dur- 
ing horse races. 

After breakfast I started off through a torrent of rain. 
This time my vehicle was drawn by two horses, and each 
of them had a driver. 

On our way my guide protested that he could show me 
everything worth seeing by twelve /o’clock; for he was 
not only well acquainted but had mapped out such a sys- 
tematic and glorious route that he could save one-half 
of the time which would have been required if I had en- 
gaged another guide. Believe him whoever chooses to 
do so! 

When we read about remarkable events, unusual phe- 
nomena in nature, famous works of art etc., our imagina- 
tion plays such a part that we are often disappointed when 
we are made better acquainted with the actual facts. 

I was expecting an experience of this kind in Luck- 
now. I had formed sharply defined views about the hero- 
ism displayed by the small garrison during the siege of 
the residency at Lucknow. But when I stood at the 


464 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Bailie Guard gate and took a look at the ruins I received 
an impression of the terrors of war and of the heroism 
of those people which I am unable to describe. 

Outside of the room in which Sir Henry Lawrence 
lost his life a man was standing on one leg. .He claimed 
to have been struck by the same bomb that put an end to 
the general’s life. 

It goes without saying that he never forgets to tell 
this to every traveler. He makes his living this way, and 
unless I am grossly mistaken he has made more money 
on his lost leg than on the one he still keeps. But I do 
not begrudge him his business. If he has experienced 
what these walls so plainly indicate, he must have heard 
and seen much which I am grateful for knowing so 
little about, and as a token of my gratitude I shared my 
little portion with him. It was the only ‘hip” that I gave 
with a generous heart during the whole trip — excepting 
Chandray, of course, and a Benares boy. 

How I pitied the poor women and children! The 
house in which they were closed up is in a fairly good 
state of preservation. But what a suspense they must have 
been subjected to while pining away from week to week, 
from month to month amidst the roar of cannon and the 
crackle of musketry, the moaning of the wounded and 
the war-whoops of the enemy! Their lives were unceas- 
ingly trembling in the balance between hope and fear, 
between a cruel death and an indescribably welcome de- 
liverance ! 

Not even the most vivid imagination, I believe, is able 


KALSOMINED PALACES 


465 


to paint the situation worse than it was ; and on the other 
hand it is difficult to imagine a more indomitable endur- 
ance, a more unflinching courage, than that displayed dur- 
ing the struggle incident to the relief of the beleaguered 
people. 



Pavillion of Turka. 


About all the royal castles and gorgeous palaces of 
which Lucknow may boast, a big book might be written. 
They testify to a grandeur and a splendor to which this 
city of kings will scarcely return. 

A civilization of an entirely different kind threatens 
to invade Lucknow. Its aim is not to amass riches and 


466 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


leave them in such an out-of-the-way place. The tendency 
at present is to accumulate as much money as possible and 
spend it in high living in Calcutta or Bombay, or, still 
better, at some manor in England. 

The tooth of time is gnawing upon the imposing struc- 
tures, and they will gradually crumble and tumble down ; 
for the aim of those who constructed them was rather to 
capture the eye by a showy appearance than to erect some- 
thing substantial. What looks like glittering marble when 
seen from a distance often turns out to be only kalsomined 
wood-work. 

The kings of Oudh did not build much for the future. 
They were out rather late, and whatever they did had to 
be finished in a short time that they might enjoy it while 
yet living. They were fond of enjoyment. Therefore they 
kept an exceedingly expensive court. When the last king 
was deposed and taken to Calcutta as a captive the gov- 
ernment found that it required at least fifty thousand dol- 
lars a month to support him. A very respectable board 
bill for a captive ! How much more would he need while 
occupying his royal throne in Lucknow as ruler of several 
million people! 

The bazaars of Lucknow are well worth seeing. There 
are two of them, one is old and the other new. The old 
one is a street running through the city, and is so nar- 
row that a wagon can scarcely pass through it. For that 
reason the wagon had to stop in front of the gate. 

The houses on either side are two-story brick buildings. 
The ground floors are used for shops of all kinds. 


THE BAZAARS OF LUCKNOW 


467 


There is a great number of jewelry shops, which are 
narrow rooms without front walls. There is usually a 
master and one or two apprentices in each shop. 

Gold I did not see at all, but silver was the more 
abundant. Even of this metal there was not so much as 
appearances indicated, these people having learnt the art 
of deceiving. You may buy a silver can that looks quite 
massive. But it is made out of a plate which is so thin 
that you may perforate it with a pin. There is a series 
of ornaments around the can. You suppose that these 
were cut by hand ; but on the inside there are always corre- 
sponding elevations and depressions which will convince 
you that it has all been pressed in a mold. You buy a 
ring or a button because you get it for one-fifth of what 
the man first asked for it. But when you begin to use it 
you will find that you have paid too much for it ; for what 
you took to be a solid button is hollow and soon falls 
to pieces. 

But it is worthy of admiration that they are able to 
produce such deceptive goods by means of their primitive 
tools. 

Here you may find shoemakers, tailors, barbers, wea- 
vers, blacksmiths, in short, artisans of all kinds that you 
can think of, each one in his shop. And they all sell their 
goods from the shop, which is so narrow that there is 
scarcely room enough for a man to turn around. 

In the grist-mills you will find women seated in twos 
all over the floor, each couple working one mill-stone 
together. They grind away until their laps are full of 


468 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


meal and more too, and the purchaser may easily ascer- 
tain that the meal is not too old. 

The most common medium of exchange is copper 
coins. If some one has silver there is generally a banker 
at hand who for a trifling consideration furnishes change. 
He must make a living too, you see. 

I suspected that these merchants graded their prices 
according to the looks of their customers. The natives 
surely cannot pay so much for their necessaries. But of 
a European they ask ten times the regular price. At first 
I thought it was a pity not to make an offer for some of 
their goods, but I mentioned a sum which was so small 
that I felt certain that the article could not be sold at 
that price. I soon found, however, that I was beaten 
every time. 

Now only my hotel bill remains, and we have finished 
Lucknow. 

A great deal might be written about the life of the 
English officers, about the strong garrison kept at this 
place, about the two modern forts outside the city — 
I visited both of them, but was permitted to walk through 
only one of them. No time can be spared for this at 
present, however. 

About the hotel bill this one thing may be said: it 
was the most memorable of everything that I saw in 
Lucknow, and yet I did not get a drop of that for which 
the Prince of Wales hotels are most noted. 

The horse races again ! 


FORTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. 

‘Agra.— Moonlight.— Akbar the Great.— Taj Mahal. 

sure to have moonlight for Agra and the Taj,” 
says a writer. 

But I read this too late, and on that account I failed 
to order moonlight. 

Of my own account I could not be expected to divine 
that moonlight was more necessary at Agra than at other 
places. I desired to see everything in broad daylight. I 
therefore traveled all night and arrived there about break- 
fast time, incidentally saving a stiff hotel bill. 

Fooled again by a snide fellow who made me believe 
that he could drive me around town and also act as guide 
and show me all the magnificent sights of the city, I to 
pay only for my ride. He was as well acquainted as any 
guide. 

All right! Being glad to save that much money, I 
jumped into his wagon, and he closed it. 

When I arrived at the hotel I was dumbfounded to 
find that I had changed drivers. The one now sitting 
on the box was an old wretch with whom I could neither 
speak nor get angry. Consequently I was compelled to 
[469] 


470 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


hire one more man. This time I succeeded better. I 
could understand every word he said, and he told me many 
things. 

“You want to see Taj Mahal of course,” he began. 
“All tourists want to see that. But you have chosen an 
unfavorable time. You cannot do justice to the Taj now. 



Fortress at Agra. 

It must be seen in moonlight. Then it is simply fascinat- 
ing. But even in daylight it excels everything else of 
which the world can boast in the line of architecture and 
art. As you may have heard, it is one of the seven won- 
ders of the world. Believe me, it is the crown of every- 
thing that may be called architecture.” 

What is Agra? Let us answer that question in the 
first place. 


AKBAR THE GREAT 


471 


The city is also called Akbarabad, and for a time was 
the seat of the Mogul dynasty. It was chiefly Emperor 



Balcony in the Pa*lace. 


Akbar the Great who, at the close of the fifteenth cen- 
tury, began to give to Agra that prominence which it 
enjoyed for many years. 


472 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Akbar was a remarkable man in many respects. 
Though a Mohammedan he was liberal in his way. To 
demonstrate his impartiality, as he said, he took unto 
himself three wives representing three different religions, 
one of them being a Mohammedan, one a Hindu and one 
a Christian. It is reasonable to assume,however, that he 
did this from political motives. 



Sikandra, Akbar’s Mausoleum. 

It is even claimed that in his old age he was engaged 
in constructing a new religious system in which was em- 
bodied a little of each of the dominant religions of India. 
His aim must have been to gather all religious sects in 
one state religion and to make the emperor the head of the 
civil as well as the religious power. 

From a Christian point of view Akbar was not a good 
ruler. He rewarded his friends liberally and knew how to 


AKBAR THE GREAT 


473 


rise to a greater power and fame than any other ruler in 
India. But he was cruel and tyrannical towards those 
that he did not like. 

He had a peculiar way of expressing his pleasure or 
displeasure. We are told that he carried with him a 



Gateway at Sikandra. 

box of confectionery. There were two compartments in 
the box, and the confectionery in one of them was mixed 
with a deadly poison. When he offered of the contents 
of the box to somebody no one was permitted to decline 
the offer. When a person received something from the 
right part of the box it meant that he enjoyed the favor 
of the emperor and that he would be promoted. On the 


474 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


contrary, if he received something from the other part 
of the box it tasted well in the mouth, but death was 
apt to overtake him before he reached his home. 

But one evening things went wrong. The emperor 
himself wanted some delicacies, took some of the poisoned 
confectionery and died. 

Akbar built the famous Agra fort, a structure which 
with its seventy-foot walls of cut red sandstone looks very 
imposing when seen from the distance. But when you 
come close up to the walls, which extend about two miles 
and form an enclosure, you receive the impression that 
they were made rather to please the eye than to resist 
the assaults of an enemy. They are beautiful. But we 
cannot imagine for a moment that a ruler and warrior 
like Akbar, who was familiar with the advanced stage 
of the art of war at his time, seriously looked upon these 
walls as an effective protection to his castles and palaces 
on the inside. 

About five miles from the city, Akbar constructed a 
great mausoleum for himself in the middle of a large 
garden surrounded by high walls. 

His body is buried deep down in a dark cellar, where 
we had to use artificial light in order to see. The many 
rooms with walls of shining marble are empty. 

On either side of the entrance to Sikandra, the mau- 
soleum of Akbar, have been tall marble pillars, the sum- 
mits of which are broken off. 

Not far from this place is a house which Akbar built 


TAJ MAHAL 


475 


for his Christian wife, and also a church building for her 
use. The former at present serves as a Christian orphans’ 
home. 

In the imperial palaces are many things which excite 
the traveler’s admiration even if he has seen some of the 
world. 

Still my guide kept on repeating his, ‘Tt is nothing 
compared with the Taj.” 

We ought to see everything else first, otherwise I 
would stare at the Taj to a surfeit, making the other sights 
look cheap and stale. 

Well, he ought to know all about it; and in my ima- 
gination theTaj swelled up from a little fairy palace to a 
Titanic edifice whose glory and splendor exceed even that 
of the sun, so that it ought to be seen in moonlight in 
order to spare the eyes from being blinded. 

Taj Mahal! What is Taj Mahal? It is a casket, noth- 
ing else. 

We have mentioned that Akbar the Great built his own 
mausoleum.. This was not peculiar to .him. The ancient 
Tartars were in the habit of building such expensive burial 
chambers either for themselves or for some one else whose 
memory was dear to them. 

In conformity with this custom all the Mogul rulers of 
India built great and expensive sepulchral monuments, 
the one more gorgeous than the other, until Shah Jehan, 
the grandson of Akbar, reached the climax of Saracenic 
architecture by erecting Taj Mahal in memory of his favor- 
ite wife, Arjamund Banu Begum, 


476 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


It is claimed that a force of twenty thousand men 
were engaged in work on this monument from 1630 to 
1648 — seventeen long years, and the total cost of it was 
about fifteen million dollars. 

The workingmen, however, did not receive too much 
for their labor in spite of this fabulous outlay. We are 
told that one-half of them starved to death while at work. 

Isa Mohamed, the chief architect, however, did not 
starve. He received three hundred dollars a month. The 
illuminator and the master-mason were equally well paid. 
Workingmen from Turkey, Persia, Delhi' and Punjab re- 
ceived from fifty to two hundred dollars a month. They 
too could get along. Chandray can make both ends meet 
when he receives one dollar a month, although it is asserted 
that the prices of goods have doubled during the past three 
hundred years. Hence it stands to reason that those who 
starved to death received less than Chandray did. But I 
leave it to the reader to figure out how far it is from 
one dollar a month to actual starvation. I have to pro- 
ceed with my work. 

There were no building materials at the place. Many 
things had to be imported, and imported commodities 
generally come high. Whether they had a protective 
tariff over there in those days I do not know. When my 
hand-book tells me that twenty dollars per square foot 
was paid for crystal from China I do not know v/hether 
this included tariff and freight. 

White marble was obtained from Raiputana. The ex- 


V 


TAJ MAHAL 477 

act location of this place must be known to those who have 
studied geography. 

Yellow marble came from the banks of the Nerbuedda. 
Consult your geography. 

The black metal was imported from Charkoh. Point 
out the place on the map. 

Jasper was fetched from Punjab; carnelian from Bag- 
dad; turquoise from Thibet; agates from Yeman; lapes 
lazuli from Ceylon; corals from Arabia and the Red Sea; 
diamonds from Bundelkund; rock spar from Nerbuedda; 
philosopher’s stones from Marcheen ; loadstone from Gwa- 
lior; onyx and amethyst from Persia; sapphire from Lunka 
and red sand-stone, aggregating 114,000 wagon-loads, 
from Tuttehpur-Sikri. 

jMany other kinds of stones were also used; but there 
are no names for them in our language, says my hand- 
book. 

But it must not be supposed that Shah Jehan paid for 
all these materials. They did not come exorbitantly high 
to him after all. Crystal from China and gems and dia- 
monds from Persia are supposed to have been the most 
expensive. A large quantity of the other stones were pro- 
cured free of charge from the numerous tributary rulers 
throughout his vast empire. He only had to say, ‘‘Fetch 
this and that !’ and the rulers of course had to turn to the 
people, who could do just as they saw fit, namely, work 
for nothing on their own board or be sent to sheol 
before time. The king’s word was law in those days. I 
am glad on behalf of Chandray because that time is past. 


478 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


It is stated, however, that some princes sent materials 
wholly of their own accord to Shah Jehan for the con- 
struction of the Taj. 

The ambitious emperor had laid still greater plans than 
this Taj*. He wanted to build another for himself. This 
one was to stand on the opposite side of the river which 
flows past the place, and both of the wonderful structures 
were to be united by a bridge across the river. The work 
was actually begun, and the ruins of the foundation are 
still plainly discernible. 

But the work was interrupted. A rebellion broke out, 
and the country was ravaged by civil wars. Shah Jehan 
was dethroned by his own son and kept in captivity during 
the rest of his life. 

But he suffered no distress, his son caring well for him. 
I saw the rooms which were at his disposal. From the 
balcony where he breathed his last he had a charming view 
of the surrounding country, including Taj Mahal, which 
was mirrored in the waters of the Jumna river. 

When he died his remains were deposited by the side 
of those of his favorite wife. 

As I have said before, my guide never ceased boasting 
of the size and splendor of the Taj, exciting even my slug- 
gish imagination. 

The hand-book tells me that the Taj rests on a foun- 
dation of red sandstone which is 964 by 329 feet. On 
top of this comes a superb terrace of white marble which 
is 313 feet square. In the center of this stands the Taj 
which is 130 feet wide, and the distance from the ground 


V 


TAJ MAHAL 


479 


to the top of the cupola is 260 feet. But the imagination 
does not bother itself with such dry stuff as figures, and 
I had already constructed an air-castle at least five-and-a- 
half times as large as the tangible Taj. 



Taj Mahal. 


Standing in the gateway which affords a view of the 
world-famed building at a distance of several hundred feet, 
I involuntarily gave vent to an expression of disappoint- 
ment: “Is this all!” 

But that was all I could say too. [When my Titanic 


480 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


edifice covering several acres had crumbled to dust the 
real Taj Mahal remained, and it kept me spell-bound in 
silent admiration. 

It is not so large as I had imagined, but infinitely 
more beautiful. No, beautiful is not the proper word. 
The observer is overwhelmed by a sense of purity and per- 
fection which makes him ask himself : ‘Ts this a work of 
man? Is it a dream, or is it real?’’ 

The writer is not a man af extensive travels, and on 
that account he cannot well make comparisons. But 
Brother D. L. Miller of Illinois, whose pleasant company 
along the Red Sea and across the Persian Gulf I cannot 
easily forget, has traveled more than 1. He is also a keen 
observer and a very able writer. As to profession of faith 
he is a Dunkard, and is an old leader among his brethren. 
This gentleman writes : 

‘T stood before the Taj as if entranced. I wondered 
again and again how human mind and hand could invent 
and fashion anything so wondrously beautiful. I have ad- 
mired the tomb of Napoleon I. at Paris, world-renowned 
for its beauty ; I have wandered through the Albert memo- 
rial chapel at Windsor palace, the gem of all Europe, a 
worthy memento of the wifely love and affection of Eng- 
land’s greatest queen for her dead husband; I have stood 
beneath the dome of St. Peter’s at Rome, the ecclesiastical 
architectural wonder of the world; and have beheld with 
amazement the beauties of the alabaster mosque at Cairo ; 
but none of these are to be compared with the Taj. This 
pearl of India easily bears the palm of victory.” 


TAJ MAHAL 


481 

The gate leading into the charming garden which sur- 
rounds the Taj on three sides is a magnificent structure 
all by itself. 

From the gate to the main building there runs a long 
pond, where thousands of fish are swimming about in 
crystalline water. 



The Interior of Taj Mahal 

/ 

Across this pond is built a marble bridge in the middle 
of which is a small, square pond, where carps of all sizes 
and colors are playing incessantly. 

On either side of the long pond are tastefully arranged 
flower-beds, and outside of these are walks which lead up 
to the Taj. 

In the garden on both sides is a miniature reproduc- 
tion of the flora of India in all its variety and beauty. 


482 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Roses and jasmines fill the air with the richest fragrance, 
and from the branches of a profuse selection of large and 
small trees, gay little birds pour out a ceaseless stream of 
happy music. 

The tombs are located in a dark cellar far down be- 
neath the building. Here everything is dismal and silent. 
Nothing is to be seen here but two tombs which are built 
of polished marble and inlaid with precious stones of dif- 
ferent colors. 

But above the underground chamber, right under the 
cupola of the building, is an exact reproduction of the 
tombs. Around these is a marble screen the open tracery 
of which is tastefully designed. 

The framework of this screen was inlaid with precious 
stones artistically arranged, but much of this adornment 
has been plundered by rapacious soldiers during the rav- 
ages of war to which the city has been exposed. 

While I was sitting on one of the tombs my guide be- 
gan to sing. At first I thought he was losing his reason, 
for with due regard for the performer his singing was dis- 
agreeable. But all of a sudden he stopped and began to 
listen. The harsh discords that he produced quickly 
passed away, while sounds of the purest harmony re- 
turned to us: first as a mighty surge, then more slowly 
and feebly until you finally were in doubt whether the 
strains had died away or were still sweeping on indefinitely 
above your head. 


V 


FORTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 


Purjfib* — Delhi. — The Royal Palaces. — The Jumma Mosque. — A 
Monkey Mother. — Fine Work. — The Siege of 1857. 

Now we are in Punjab, or ‘'the country of the five 
rivers.’’ 

The Santhals call it Champa. 

Punjab was the country of the Santhals for a long time. 
They were living there as a powerful and independent na- 
tion until they gradually were conquered and chased away 
by the Dravidians. Still later came the Aryan migration 
like an irresistible flood, sweeping away everything and 
carrying it eastward and southward. The Santhals, who 
clung to the forests, were repeatedly compelled to let go 
their hold and move on until a thousand miles lie between 
their present home and the rich Punjab, which once was 
theirs. 

Punjab constitutes that part of India through which 
the river Indus flows and which Alexander the Great 
reached when he made his famous expedition to the 
Orient. 

Delhi is not only the chief city of Punjab, but for a 
period of three thousand years it has been the center of 
[483! 


484 


LIGHT .IN THE DARKNESS 


culture and intellectual life of India, not to say of the 
whole of Asia. 

The present Delhi, however, is of a later date. The 
legends tell us that the city has been destroyed and rebuilt 
seven times. It is at least certain th?t is has been located 
at different places, which fact is demonstrated by the ruins 
which cover the landscape within a circuit of twenty miles 
to the south and south-west of the city. 

The last time the city was moved by the above men- 
tioned Shah Jehan, for which reason it is also called Shah- 
jehanabad. 

The present Delhi is surrounded by a fortified wall of 
red granite having a circuit of five-and-a-half miles, and 
twelve magnificent gates connect the city with the outside 
world. 

On the inside the royal palace rises on the banks 
of the Jumna. It is surrounded by a strong forty-foot wall, 
which is richly ornamented with towers and cupolas 
throughout its whole length. 

The hall of audience in the royal palace is a spacious 
hall which is open on three sides. The roof rests on sev- 
eral rows of pillars of red sandstone. 

In the background a ten-foot stairway leads up to the 
throne, which is surmounted by a big canopy supported 
on four pillars of white marble. 

From the throne a door leads to the private apart- 
ments of the emperor. 

The throne, the canopy and especially the back wall 


THE ROYAL PALACES 485 

are ornamented with the most exquisite mosaic work, the 
inlays consisting of precious stones exclusively. 

''But this is nothing,’’ my guide assured me, "com- 
pared with what it was during the Mogul regime.” And 
I think he was right. The throne and the wall plainly in- 
dicate that rapacious hands have carried away whatever 
could be removed without difficulty. 



An Entrance to the Fortress. 


The Pearl Mosque, so called on account of its artistic 
style and polished marble walls, deserves its name well. 

The private audience hall of the emperor was being 
repaired. That is to say, a number of artisans were en- 
gaged in gilding the ceiling and the arcades of one cor- 
ner. The work was only a sample showing how the room 
looked when new or in good condition, and how much 
gold it must have taken to gild the whole of it. 

This hall too is open on three sides, having only one 
wall. The roof is carried by massive marble pillars which 
are covered with mosaic work. 


486 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


In the center of this hall stood the peacock throne, so 
called, it is said, because it was made in the form of a 
peacock’s tail. 

The throne was six feet long and four feet wide, made 
of solid gold and inlaid with gems and diamonds. The 
throne was surmounted by a canopy supported on twelve 
pillars, everything being made of pure gold. 

A Frenchman who had the honor of seeing the throne 
in its greatest splendor claimed that it represented a cash 
value of thirty million dollars. 

All that now remains to be seen of the peacock throne 
is a footstool of marble. The Persian Nadir Shah turned 
the rest of it into the crucible and converted it into money, 
for which he had more use. 

From the palace we drive to the famous Jumma 
Mosque, the largest and finestMohammedan mosque in In- 
dia. The foundation of this structure covers a large square 
in the center of the city. On each of three sides is an 
immense gateway approached by a massive flight of steps. 
Above this is an open square, which is 450 feet each way, 
and in the center of which is a fountain for the purification 
of the Mussulmans. 

The west side, in the direction of Mecca, is occupied 
by the mosque itself. 

Like all Mohammedan mosques, this one also has an 
open front. The building is one hundred and twenty feet 
wide and is surmgunted by three huge cupolas of white 
marble. Formerly the visitors had to pull off their shoes 




THE JUMMA MOSQUE 487 

upon entering this sanctuary, but no European is required 
to do this in our day. 

Two priests conducted me through the building, my 
guide, a Hindu, being compelled to remain outside. 

Carpets were spread out to walk on. But I did not 
always look before my feet, my attention being attracted 
by so many different objects. I thus happened to step pn 
the bare marble floor. But I ought not to have done this. 
The two priests seized my arms, worked off an unintellig- 



Jumraa Mosque. 


ible harangue upon me and pulled me back to the mats. 
Then I begged pardon and told them that I would never 
be so rude again. 

On either side of the mosque is a minaret which rises 
one hundred and thirty feet above the foundation. Wind- 
ing stairways run up through these to the very top, afford- 
ing a magnificent and commanding view of the city and 
its vicinity. 

At the northwestern corner is a small building where 
no ^^unholy” mortal is permitted to place his foot. But an 


488 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS, 


old chief priest was standing there, wearing an unpardon- 
ably threadbare garment for a man of his rank. For a 
reasonable consideration he was willing to let me see the 
sacred relics of the place. 

Expecting to get a peep at the most wonderful things 
in the world, I promised the old man a handsome tip. 

The door was opened. The old man, crawling in upon 
his knees, opened a box and pulled out a few brown, dirty 
leaves of a book. I did not understand the reading mat- 
ter; but the man protested that he was handling genuine 
goods, the leaves having been taken from the first copy of 
the Koran which had ever been printed. 

The next number on the progmm was a worm-eaten 
slipper which was said to have been used by old Moham- 
med himself. ^ 

Then he showed me a piece of cement on which the 
father of Islamism had left an exact impression of his foot. 

Now came the greatest curiosity and sacred relic to be 
found east of Mecca. It lay on a white paper, which again 
was enclosed in a gold case. Twofold solemn did the 
mien of the old man become as he brought this object, 
and my imagination was strained to the utmost. — It was 
a gray hair from Mohammed’s venerable beard. The 
idea ! 

For my part I was more interested in a big female 
monkey which was seated on the ridge of a house on a 
neighboring street, suckling her young one. She looked 
down upon me contemptuously as she pressed her young 
one to her breast and glanced at it now and then to ascer- 


A MONKEY MOTHER 489 

tain that it was not frightened by the monster down on the 
street. 

She felt quite safe from me. She was occupying a 
dangerous place, however. Behind her came a rascal of 
her own race, evidently bent on giving her a push in the 
back. But the watchful mother heard the steps no matter 
how lightly and cautiously they were taken, made a ter- 
rible face, grabbed her young one and scrambled from 
roof to roof, leaving the rascal behind her in dismay. 

Now I know how a monkey dam carries her young 
one. 

But I wonder which was the first one in India to carry 
the young ones in this fashion, the monkey mother or the 
human mother, both of them following exactly the same 
method. They push out one hip and make the littje one 
ride astride on it, the mother pressing him against her 
side with her arm, thus preventing him from tumbling 
backward. 

The Indian merchants are forging ahead with energy 
and success in northwestern India. In the narrow streets 
you will often find many shops that are not only well sup- 
plied with goods but in which the goods are exhibited in 
an attractive manner. 

Many of them are carrying on an extensive trade with 
the numerous European travelers. They keep their agents 
at the railway stations and the hotels, and the printed 
business cards which they present to the traveler are by 
no means inferior to those which we are accustomed to 
in America, excepting the unpardonably long names and 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


4^)0 


the bombastic titles. And the skill with which artisans 
in Agra and Delhi work in alabaster and ivory is remark- 
able. 

My guide at Delhi took me into a shop in one of the 
eight-foot streets. An exceedingly polite man conducted 
me up a dark, narrow stairway to a little room that was 
well lighted. He told me that he had a museum there. 

Now he is up to some humbug again, I thought to 
myself. But I was mistaken. The man went to a safe 
and pulled out one object of artistically carved ivory after 
another. The image of an elephant loaded with a com- 
plete outfit for house-keeping was small enough to be con- 
cealed in the hand. Chains and rings were dangling all 
around. But it was all carved out of one solid mass of 
ivory. There were no joints to be seen. 

In a side-room he had his workshop. Here were 
workmen whose ages ranged from six to seventy years. 

A little boy was engaged in carving out a dog. He 
had spent about a month on it, and now it was half 
finished. 

An old man was painting pictures of Taj Mahal on 
glass. He did not take much paint on the pencil for each 
stroke. 

When the man had ^ shown me everything he handed 
me a book in which he had induced visitors to write down 
their opinions about his goods. 

It was an interesting book, and it contained the names 
of many famous men. 


FINE WORK 


491 


About a year before my visit a man had written some- 
thing which no subsequent visitor had been able to inter- 
pret. He hunted it up for me, and to my astonishment 
it was written in Norwegian. Here is an English version 
of it: 

^‘This man’s art is superior to everything that I have 
ever seen. Delhi, 27 — 2 — ’98. L. O. Skrefsrud, Nor- 
way.” 

'^Do you understand it?” he asked. 

^'Yes, Sir,” I said, and smiled. 

“Is it something that will do me harm?” 

I translated it to him, and the man beamed with hap- 
piness. For a long time he had wished that some one 
would come and interpret this writing and tell him what 
strange man had written it. 

But when I told him that Mr. Skrefsrud was a mis- 
sionary he looked rather silly. He had been in hopes that 
the mysterious writer was at least a European prince. 

Delhi was the great stronghold during the rebellion of 

1857- 

On June eighth the British forces encamped outside 
the city, and the siege lasted for three months. 

On the fourteenth of September an impetuous assault 
was made, resulting in the occupation of the whole eastern 
portion of the city. 

The struggle must have been fierce and the bloodshed 
terrible, as is indicated by the marks on the wall at the 
Kashmir gate and by the numerous gravestones surround- 
ed by cannon balls in the hill outside the gate. 


492 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


For five days the fight continued in the streets. 

The king, who had encouraged the rebellion, took his 
family with him and sought refuge in an old tomb, but 
surrendered shortly afterwards. 

After the surrender Captain Hadson set a striking ex- 
ample of English humanity and military spirit by killing, 
with his own hand and without trial, the two sons of the 
king and afterwards displaying their bodies in the chief 
thoroughfare of the city. 


> 


FORTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 

Benares. — Many Pilgrims. — An Experiment. — A Boat-Ride on the 
Ganges.— At the Burning Ghat. — Horrifying! — At the Marnikarnika 
Well. — The Purse a Weak Spot. 

Benares! One day spent in Benares will throw more 
light on Hinduism and enable a person to judge the merits 
of the Brahminic philosophy more correctly, than would 
a whole life devoted to the study of the Vedas and the 
numerous learned works of a later date on that subject. 

This is the heart of Hinduism. 

The Jews and the Christians speak about Jerusalem! 
What notions we had about Jerusalem when we were de- 
voting part of our childhood days to the study of Bible 
history! How often our minds were fired when we 
thought of the possibility of visiting Jerusalem at a riper 
age of life! Even at this very moment the writer is 
scarcely able to pardon himself for having been so close 
to Jerusalem without seeing the place where the Savior 
of the world gave up his life. 

The Mohammedans look upon a pilgrimage to Mecca 
as the greatest blessing, and when they pray they always 
turn their faces in the direction of their sacred city. 

But Benares is something far greater to the Hindus 
[493] 


494 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


than IS Jerusalem to the Christians and Mecca to the Mo- 
hammedans. To them it is the most sacred spot on earth. 

A Hindu, however, will maintain that Benares is not 
located on earth, but that it rests on a prong of Siva’s 
trident. 

The City is called Kasi, the shining, by the Hindus, 
The streets and buildings were originally of pure gold, it 
is claimed, but by some mistake they were turned into 
stone and earth. 

The city is magnificently located on a bay of the 
Ganges, 476 miles from Calcutta and 938 miles from Bom- 
bay. Benares extends in the shape of a crescent about four 
miles along the north bank of the river, and with its four- 
teen hundred temples, whose towers rise among palaces 
and mosques, it is, when seen from the other side of the 
river, by far the most beautiful city in India. 

From all directions, by rail and river, along country 
roads and across fields, people were pouring by thousands 
into the sacred city of the Hindus on the day of my arrival 
— not in honor of me, I am sorry to say, but on account 
of a great festival which was to take place the next day. 

Here and there people were seen falling on their faces 
when they caught the first glimpse of the city, and I was 
told that many of them would walk on their knees the 
balance of the way to the city, their object being to evince 
reverence and a penitent spirit. 

It is said that a pilgrimage to Benares by means of 
boat or vehicle is not very profitable. It is more meritor- 










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MANY PILGRIMS 


497 

ious to foot it, and the meritoriousness increases with the 
length of the journey. 

Nevertheless, from the remotest past to our day, some 
people have made the pilgrimage as easy as possible, 
using oxen, camels or elephants on land and craft on the 
Ganges as means of conveyance, according to the length 
of the pilgrim's purse. 

The railroads have added a new facility. At first the 
Hindus were loath to travel by rail; for in a railway car 
a person must always run the risk of being seated by the 
side of a person belonging to a lower caste, and such 
contact involves a sin of the most heinous character. But 
the temptation was too great. When so much money 
can be saved and so many hardships avoided, when travel 
is made so easy and comfortable in all respects, even a 
common Hindu is inclined to test the elasticity of his 
conscience. From year to year there is a steady growth 
of the number of pilgrims coming by rail to Benares to 
obtain indulgence and to celebrate the holidays. 

Though the pilgrims would not fill the hotels and raise 
the hotel charges to any appreciable degree I could not 
help thinking of the races at Lucknow and of the small 
amount of money which still remained at my disposal. I 
had slept several nights on the cars without extra charges. 

Upon my arrival at Benares I entered the first class 
waiting room at the station, placed my baggage on a 
couch and asked the waiter to make a bed for me there 
by the time I returned. 

This was an experiment. The printed regulations on 


498 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the wall stated that the room was no bungalow where 
people could stop, excepting while they were waiting for 
the train. But I refrained from reading the regulations. 

The boy bowed and said, '‘All right.’’ 

A few hours before sunset I engaged a guide in great 
haste, and a little later we were on our way to the river. 

A boat-ride on the Ganges at Benares can never be for- 
gotten. The boat! Be it big or small, it is simply im- 
possible to describe how ugly and wretched it looks. 

But now we are in a country where beauty and ugli- 
ness, good and evil, great and small things are mingled 
with each other in the wildest confusion. Therefore it 
strikes no one as a contrast to see a well dressed European 
lady sitting on a rotten board in a most wretched craft by 
the side of a distinguished looking gentleman with eye- 
glasses on his nose. 

For my part I could choose between a roofed vessel of 
several tons and a craft which was ten feet long and four 
feet wide. The charges were three rupees and one rupee, 
respectively. This settled the question. It was a small 
margin to risk one’s life on; but if the boat had not 
dropped to pieces during the past one hundred years why 
should it do so in the course of the next two hours? And 
at the very worst a man may cling to the wreck and save 
his life in that way. 

The water was bright and smooth on the surface, and 
the huge buildings and stone steps on the one-hundred-foot 
river bank had their own pictures in front of them as if in 
an immense mirror. 


A BOAT-RIDE ON THE GANGES 


499 


Most of the buildings lean to one side more or less, and 
not a few of them had tumbled over. In some cases the 
foundation was wholly gone on one side, while that on the 
opposite side seemed to be raised. My guide told me that 
earthquakes were responsible for these disturbances; but 
as they evidently occurred several hundred years ago his 
theory cannot be verified by documentary evidence, and 
it is most unlikely that the matter has been investigated 
by geologists. 

We rowed down-stream. There was next to no cur- 
rent. The dead bodies floating on the surface did not 
seem to move, and green fungi grew in the water around 
them. 

In my boyhood I had read a great deal about the 
sacred waters of the Ganges, and now I could see men all 
around me who were devoutly worshiping it, some of them 
also drinking of it and indicating by their behavior that 
they enjoyed the treat very much. But in me the first 
sight of it created the greatest disgust. Just think of 
bathing in this water, not to mention the use of it for 
drinking purposes ! 

But people will do many strange things to cure the 
body or save the soul. When Naaman, the Syrian, was at 
a real pinch he who had been accustomed to bathe in the 
crystalline waters at Damascus, stepped down into the 
despised Jordan and was cured. He hesitated a long 
while, but it finally occurred to him that he might as well 
try the remedy. 


500 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The Hindu firmly believes that the 'water of the Ganges 
cures diseases and takes away sins. 

To bathe in the Ganges at this place, where it emits 
the foulest stench, will carry a dying person directly to 
heaven, though he has been the most abominable sinner 
that ever burdened the earth. 

When the Brahmins, who as a rule are intelligent men, 
teach this, and the people believe it I can easily understand 
why persons who are strangers to the gospel of Christ 
bathe in the Ganges and drink of its water no matter 
how disgusting it looks. It is only natural that miost 
people who have such faith in a remedy of this nature 
should turn to it instead of seeking God with a penitent 
heart. 

And the Hindus do believe in the sanctity and health- 
giving properties of the Ganges, and they are never afraid 
of contracting diseases by its use. 

A number of years ago a sensation was caused by the 
statement that the cholera is never spread from Benares. 
A scientist in the employ of the government made a series 
of experiments. He took some of the filthiest water to 
be found near the mouth of a city sewer and tried to cul- 
tivate cholera bacilli in it. But the bacilli died within six 
hours. He made several attempts. But the result was 
invariably the same. Then he planted cholera bacilli in 
pure well water which was used in the city, and they 
multiplied with surprising rapidity. 

The Hindus have been ridiculed for claiming that a 


AT THE BURNING GHAT 


SOI 


person may drink of the water of the Ganges without tak- 
ing sick, no matter how it stinks. But now the scientific 
world is pausing and asking how people could obtain that 
knowledge thousands of years ago. 


We glided past the place where the bodies of the dead 
are burnt, the Burning Ghat, and landed a short distance 
below. 

Down the steep, filthy hill-side came one group of men 
after another, each group carrying a corpse on a bier of 
bamboo poles. They did not move slowly and solemnly 
but ran and shouted vociferously, ‘‘Ram ! Ram ! Ram 
(the name of a god) over and over again until the burden 
was lowered and immersed in the water of the river. 

Immediately a number of men who evidently followed 
this work as their regular occupation stepped up and be- 
gan to prepare pyres on which the corpses were placed, 
and the bearers hurried off. 

In one case a few of them remained. When the pyre 
was finished a torch was handed to a boy who seemed to 
be about eight years old. He ran around the pyre several 
times and finally set fire to it on the lower side. 

The boy seemed to be greatly amused, and the grown 
people that subsequently led him away did not manifest 
the least trace of sorrow. 

My guide told me that the boy was the oldest son of 
the deceased, and that good manners required him to 
kindle his father’s funeral pyre. 


502 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Two men brought a big, red bundle suspended from 
a pole. It was the dead body of a poor woman. They 
threw down the bundle in the middle of the hill and gave 
it a kick to set it rolling, whereupon they retraced their 
steps and disappeared. 

Several pyres were kindled at the same time. 

In a short while they were ablaze. The fire crackled 
and sputtered as when a frying-pan catches fire, and the 
atmosphere was soon saturated with the odor of burning 
human flesh. 

The men who were in charge of the work were kept 
busy. They were no doubt performing their duties with 
proper decorum, but in my eyes their actions were hor- 
rible. Indeed their trade made me shudder. 

They walked about among the pyres, carrying long 
poles which they used in turning the bodies over. Occa- 
sionally they would raise a body above the pyre like a huge 
torch and throw it down with great force to break it to 
pieces and make it burn so much faster. 

I had to turn away and look at something else. A 
person must take in such sights as this by degrees, or 
else he is apt to sink into a fainting-fit. My nerves at any 
rate could not, upon short notice, be made to endure such 
a sight but for a very brief space of time. 

But I had taken only a few steps when an equally 
nerve-shattering sight met my eyes. It was a group of 
men of different ages who were rolling in the mud. Their 
condition was extremely wretched, and they seemed to 
have been lying there for some time. 



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AT THE BURNING GHAT 


50s 

‘‘What is this?’' I ejaculated. 

“People dying,” was my guide’s reply. “Carried here 
to die. Sacred place right here. When sick, carried here 
to die. Come to heaven sure, not to hell.” 

“But they are lying here without any one to care for 
them,” I remarked. 

“Relatives carry them here. Then go home. Die 
not, but recover, then cannot come home. Relatives afraid, 
shut the door, chase them away. Bad people not die 
here, not go to heaven, recover and go to hell. Rela- 
tives admit them, they too .go to hell.” 

By these words the man wanted to tell that such 
people were carried there by their relatives that they 
might die on the banks of the Ganges, the most sacred 
place on earth, and be sure to enter heaven as soon as 
they breathed their last. If they are good, death will be 
easy and swift. If they are bad, death will tarry. But if 
their wickedness is unusually great they will recover in 
order that they may die at another place, from which the 
Lord is not obliged to admit them to heaven but may let 
them return to the world in the form of a serpent, a worm 
or even an ass. Such people are of course shunned by 
their relatives, who look upon them as though they were 
ghosts. 

There is one gasping for breath just now, and another 
is writhing in the last throes of death without a friend’s 
hand to offer him a cool drink for his burning tongue or 
to close his eyes in death. 

O God ! What creatures we are ! Does any guilt at- 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


506 

tach to us on account of this? Are we in any way re- 
sponsible for the woe of these our brothers? Never in 
all my life have I felt so ashamed of myself, so sinful, so 
worthless and base. There I stood facing fellow-men who 
were laboring under unspeakable distress and anguish, 
and yet I viewed them as a curiosity. Their sufferings 
cut me to the quick, but I was of no use to them. I 
had to do as the priest and the Levite — I turned away 
and left them. Oh, if I could have acted as the good 
Samaritan on this occasion, how much more agreeable it 
would have been to leave the place ! NowT can only point 
to the distress and say to the Lord and the Lord’s friends : 
‘^Help! Help! United efforts are required in this case.” 

A few steps from the Burning Ghat, which to the 
Hindus is the most sacred spot on earth, we came to the 
Manikarnika well, the fluid of which is claimed to be still 
more powerful than the water of the Ganges. 

According to the legends the well was dug by the god 
Vishnu himself, and instead of water he filled it with the 
sweat of his own body. Having finished the well, he set- 
tled down as a devotee by the side of it. 

One day the god Mahadeva came to pay him a visit. 
As he looked into the well the light from a hundred mil- 
lion suns struck his eyes, and when Vishnu invited him to 
dwell there he was so crazed with joy that he shook off 
one of his ear-rings, dropping it into the well. From this 
ring the well is called Manikarnika. 

Vishnu is still sitting there — his image at any rate, 


MANIKARNIKA WELL 


507 

and to one side there are sixteen altars on which the pil- 
grims sacrifice to their forefathers. 

Wide stair-ways lead down to the well on all four sides, 
and the water on the bottom of it is not over three feet 
deep. 

This well is generally the first place visited by a pilgrim 
coming to Benares. He sacrifices to the well such objects 
as leaves, wreaths of flowers, milk etc., until the water 
resembles broth and emits an intolerable stench. He also 
bathes here, washing his body, diving and babbling and 
rattling off long prayer formulas. 

Though he be the greatest of criminals he may become 
pure and holy in this stinking water. No orthodox Hindu 
doubts that, says my hand-book. 

A well-fed priest ran down the steps with a cane in 
his hand and proceeded to fish out a wreath of flowers 
which was floating on the water. 

''What does he want to do with this?’' I asked my 
guide. 

"He wants to give it to you. You give him money.” 

"Come along!” I said to my guide, and took to my 
heels. 

The purse is a tender spot, I tell you. Have you ever 
noticed that many people sneak out of church when the 
collection is to be taken up, and that others are very busily 
engaged in staring in the hymn-book and singing devoutly 
and vociferously until the contribution box has passed 
them? What? Have you not? Well, have you seen a 


5o8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


prosperous parishioner raise his hand solemnly and drop 
a copper coin into the box? 

Have you not seen even that? But are you certain 
that some one has not seen you do it? Do not talk about 
the widow’s mite; for she gave all that she had. We 



A Hindu Priest. 

are not so self-sacrificing, not one of us. Nor would it 
work in India. If I had given the widow’s mite at Luck- 
now to those who were more than willing to accept it, 
what would the results have been in Agra, Delhi and here 
in Benares? I had kept on handing out small silver coins 
until I finally realized the necessity of economizing. Ev- 
erybody of course took me to be a Croesus because I came 


THE PURSE A WEAK SPOT 


509 


from America (I was already accustomed to this), and to 
be an inveterate skin-flint because I was not generous 
enough. I had made up my mind, and when I heard, 
^^Give him money,'’ my program was, '^To the rear, 
march !" without a moment's delay. 

But the priest was more swift-footed than 1. He was 
adroit too. He threw the wreath after me as a cow-boy 
would throw his lasso, and before I was aware of it the 
wreath lay around my hat. 

We were overtaken by the priest. Instead of asking 
for money he invited me to accompany him to the great 
temple close by. 

I went with him! I attempted to walk straight into 
the holy of holies but was prevented from doing so, while 
rats and mice were admitted free of charge. 

''Well, then you will not get a cent!" But the priest 
did not understand me and followed me to the boat, salut- 
ing me so long that I had to think of Fido, who remains 
sitting upon his hauches begging until some one gives 
him a bite, and I bestowed the dog's right upon the priest, 
pushed from shore and rowed up the river, the burn- 
ing human flesh still sputtering and crackling, the pyres 
throwing their light through the dusk upon the river. 


FORTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER, 

• ' 

A Modest Waiter.— A Fell Dream.— Burning of The Dead.— Burn- 
ing of Widows.— Desparate Condition of Widows. 

The good waiter had put everything in order at the 
waiting-room. 

He fetched me food from the restaurant in the adjoin- 
ing room and did not leave me while I was eating. 

When I beckoned to him that I wanted to retire he 
came to pull off my shoes, and he was not a little sur- 
prised when I told him that I was in the habit of doing 
that work myself. He placed my clothes in perfect order 
on a bench, and when he supposed I had gone to sleep he 
closed the door and lay down on the pavement outside, 
just where the dog ought to have lain if there had been 
one. 

No, sir, I had seen too much misery during the last few 
hours, without being able to manifest the least sympathy. 
Here I had a good chance to ease my conscience some- 
what, and I was a good deal better pleased with myself 
when I had succeeded in persuading the boy to lie on the 
inside. 

It took a long while before sleep came to me. And 
(510] 


A FELL DREAM 


Sii 

when it did come it was accompanied by so many ugly 
things that I was soon frigthened out of my slumber. 

In my dreams — I rarely dream, by the way — hell 
appeared with all its horrors. I witnessed how thousands 
of devils were engaged in roasting great multitudes of 
human beings who everywhere crept and climbed to get 
out of the fire, extending their arms to me and uttering 
heart-rending cries for help. But to no purpose. Every- 
where the devils were present to hurl them back into the 
fire from the prongs of their tridents. 

It was better to be lying wide awake than to see such 
loathsome sights. Let the subject be thoroughly elabor- 
ated by the mind, let it fill the soul to satiety, and it will 
no longer return in the form of dreams. 

What may be said against the burning of the bodies of 
the dead? 

To give a shrug is about as good an argument as can 
be produced in a discussion with the advocates of crema- 
tion. To me it has appeared that very little can be said 
either for or against the practice. The one points to the 
process which takes place in the earth and says, ‘‘Ugh 
The other dwells upon the idea of having the bodies of his 
dear ones placed in an oven to be turned into ashes, and 
he says, “Ugh!"’ This is about all. 

The talk about sanitary considerations seems to me 
to be all bosh. It is sentiment, not sound reasoning, that 
decides a person’s standpoint in regard to this matter. It is 
simply “Ugh !” against “Ugh !” But as to the pyre or the 
oven I would say, “Ugh! Ugh!” 



512 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

But the Hindu believes in the burning of the bodies of 
the dead on religious grounds. 

He despises the body. It is bad, wicked. To have 
soul and body combined seems to him to be a calamity, a 


The Burning Ghat. 

punishment because the soul was too strongly influenced 
by matter during a former incarnation. 

To neglect or even mutilate one’s body, therefore, is 
looked upon as a meritorious deed and a proof of great 
holiness. 

When the soul has fled, leaving only the sinful body 
behind, the curse of heaven will fall upon the relative that 
does not see that the remains are burnt. 


BURNING OF WIDOWS 


513 


This explains the savage and apparently indifferent 
treatment of the bodies of the dying and the dead. 

I almost forgot to mention the sati stones which I 
noticed here and there along the river. They remind us 
of a cruelty which fortunately is prohibited where the gov- 
ernment is controlled by the English. They indicate 
places where widows were burnt alive on their husbands’ 
funeral pyres. 

Do not imagine, however, that the widows always were 
placed on the pyre and burnt by main force and that the 
women were glad to have this practice stopped. If the law 
against the burning of widows were abolished to-day, to- 
morrow thousands of widows would voluntarily mount the 
funeral pyres of their husbands. 

Major Sleeman prohibited burning of widows through- 
out his district, Nerbuedda, even before this law was passed. 

Shortly afterwards the most prominent Brahmin of the 
district died, and immediately his next of kin came and 
entreated the major to permit the widow of the deceased 
to be burnt together with her husband’s corpse. Mean- 
while the widow was sitting the whole day by the river 
waiting for an answer. The police were on guard to pre- 
vent the violation of the order, and when a negative an- 
swer was announced the widow would neither rise nor take 
food and drink. 

Next day the body of her husband was burnt in a pit 
dug for this purpose. Then she left her sons and other 
relatives, waded out into the river and sat down on a rock 
rising above the water. She remained sitting there. 


514 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Her relatives, who were very fond of her, followed her 
and urged her to return home with them. But she could 
not be persuaded. She would either starve to death or have 
her prayer granted and be burnt to death. 

She sat there almost naked in the burning sun the 
whole day. She sat there through a cool spring night, 
waiting for an answer to a new petition, only to receive a 
new refusal. 

To put an end to the entreaties of her relatives to go 
home with them, she broke her bracelets and put a red 
turban on her head. By this act she violated the caste law 
and excluded herself from her family and tribe, so that 
no one could take her into his house without being ex- 
pelled from his caste. She was now dead to them. 

But if she wer^ to starve to death, that would be a 
still more terrible death than if the flames of the pyre were 
permitted to end her sufferings in a few seconds. Major 
Sleeman left her in the evening and found her the next 
morning, on the fourth day, sitting in the same position. 
According to his own account '‘she had determined to 
mix her ashes with those of her husband, and should pa- 
tiently await my permission to do so, assured that God 
would enable her to sustain life till that was given, though 
she dared not eat or drink. Looking to the sun, then ris- 
ing before her over a long and beautiful reach of the river, 
she said calmly, 'My soul has been for five days with my 
husband’s near that sun ; nothing but my earthly frame is 
left : and this, I know, you will in time suffer to be mixed 
with his ashes in yonder pit, because it is not in your 


BURNING OF WIDOWS 


515 

nature or usage wantonly to prolong the miseries of a poor 
old woman/ ” 

Major Sleeman tried to make her realize how unhappy 
she would make the surviving members of her family if 
she persisted in her course, stigmatizing them for having 
starved her to death. But she answered that she was dead 
to her relatives and that she was under no further obliga- 
tions to her children. 

He promised to build a fine house for her on the banks 
of the sacred river and provide amply for her during the 
remainder of her life if she only would make up her mind 
to live, but if she did not yield he would see that no mo- 
nument was placed on her grave. But she only smiled and 
said: “My pulse has long ceased to beat, my spirit has 
departed; I shall suffer nothing in the burning; and if you 
wish proof, order some fire and you shall see this arm 
consumed without giving me pain.’’ 

Major Sleeman finally yielded his point, but before 
doing so he made her relatives sign a written pledge 
that they would not practice sati in the future. 

The old widow beamed with joy when Major Sleeman’s 
final decision was announced to her. When the pyre was 
kindled she left her rock and waded ashore. Supported 
by one of her sons and another relative she walked with 
a cheerful countenance to the pit. 

She stopped and looked up: 

“Why have they kept me five days away from thee, 
my husband?” 

She walked unsupported around the pit once, mum- 


5i6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


bling a prayer formula and throwing flowers into the fire. 
Then she moved slowly but firmly towards the edge of 
the pyre, stepped straight into the flames, seated herself 
and lay down on her back as if on a couch, without utter- 
ing a cry or manifesting the least sign of pain. 


It is not easy to see the religious idea on which the 
immolation of widows is based. It is not unlikely that 
sati originated from some entirely different source. 

It stands to reason that a woman might mourn the 
death of her husband until she became insane and mounted 
his pyre as a maniac. We may also conceive that such 
an act might be looked upon as worthy of imitation. 

The most reasonable explanation, however, may be 
found, it seems to me, in the peculiar position of woman, 
and particularly the widows, in the Hindu world. 

The woman exists only ^f or the sake of the man. No 
sacrifices are made to the gods for her. Her religion must 
be to serve the man. 

‘'Let a wife who wishes to perform sacred oblations 
wash the feet of her lord and drink the water; for a hus- 
band is to a wife greater than Siva or Vishnu. The hus- 
band is her god, her priest and religion ; wherefore, aban- 
doning everything else, she ought chiefly to worship her 
husband.’’ *) 


■) Skanda Purana. 


DESPERATE CONDITION OF WIDOWS S^7 


Among the Hindus it is assumed that Providence has 
destined a woman for a certain man. If she dies the man 
may marry another woman. But a widow cannot be mar- 
ried. If a man dies there is no more use for his wife. JThe 
widow is looked upon as a curse, and the more so because 
she belongs to the family of her parents-in-law or brothers- 
in-law. 

The marriage of children contributes to the multipli- 
cation of widows. In i88i there were twenty-four million 
widows in India, and less than six million widowers. The 
following assumption is not unreasonable. Having learnt 
that the savage Scythians were in the habit of sacrificing 
slaves of both sexes and horses on the grave of their dead 
master, the Hindus may have come to the conclusion 
that the existing conditions would justify them in adopting 
this Scythian practice, thereby reducing the troublesome 
superabundance of widows. Sir W. W. Hunter seems to 
be of this opinion. 

The priests invented a new dogma, providing a glorious 
existence for the widow in the other world if she was burnt ; 
and on the other hand her relatives made it a religious duty 
to worry her until she would rather be burnt than be tor- 
tured and disgraced throughout a long life as a widow. 

Many were carried to the pyre by main force, and 
when they tried to escape they were driven back into the 
fire by means of thick bamboo canes; and many went 
voluntarily because they looked upon it as a religious duty 
which was richly rewarded in the life to come. But when 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Si8 

many widows of our day would mount the pyre if per- 
mitted to do so, their motive would in most cases be to 
flee from the terribly oppressive and disgraceful condition 
of the Hindu widow. 

And the condition of the Hindu widow was indeed but 
very little improved by the abolishment of sati. 

Sir W. W. Hunter quotes a native author on the 
subject: 

‘'Let us take the instance of a child, say of three years. 
This is not an exceptional, but a fairly general instance. 
Of the fact that she has been once married and has be- 
come a widow she knows nothing. 

“She therefore mixes with the children not widowed. 

“Supposing there is a festivity, children run to the 
scene; but the sight of the widowed child is a bad omen 
to the persons concerned in the festivity. She is removed 
by force. 

“She cries and is rewarded by the parents with a blow, 
accompanied by remarks such as these: ‘You were a most 
sinful being in your previous births, you have therefore 
been widowed already. Instead of hiding your shame in a 
corner of the house, you go and injure others.’ 

“The child understands not a word. Some sugar-cane 
juice is given to her, and she is appeased. 

“She can wear no ornaments. 

“She cannot bathe in the manner in which other chil- 
dren bathe. 

“Her touch is pollution. 

“In the meanwhile, if the priest happens to visit the 


DESPERATE CONDITION OF WIDOWS 519 

place where the child is, she is immediately shaved and 
dressed like a widow, in order that she may appear before 
the priest and get herself branded or initiated into mys- 
teries 

‘'She is then asked to eat only once a day. She is 
made to fast once a fortnight, even at the risk of death. 

“She often asks in vain why these things are done to 
her. During the earlier part of life she is told some story 
or other and quieted. When she reaches eleven years 
of age such devices fail. Then it is explained to her that 
in her previous births she was a bad woman, created feuds 
between husband and wife, and God being angry was 
pleased to ordain that she should, in this generation, be 
a woman deprived of her husband. 

“This is generally the first correct intimation to the 
girl of her having been declared married. 

“She learns this with concern and anxiety, but is not 
able entirely to realize her position. 

“Two more years pass away. Nature asserts its do- 
minion. She begins to feel that, for no fault of hers in 
this generation, she is denied what her comrades are al- 
lowed to enjoy. She becomes an object of suspicion . . . 
Respectable companions being denied, an evil one is se- 
cretly associated with, who opens the world to her. Her 
passions are aroused. Feelings of shame cause her to 
struggle with them. The life-long war begins, and in 
most cases passion prevails over shame. She becomes 
pregnant, she learns it generally when she is advanced 
in pregnancy more than two months. No respectable 


520 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


doctor will remove the cause of her shame. Quackery 
must come to her help. Sometimes the object is gained 
with or without injuring the constitution. Failure is 
also possible. A series of attempts is then made for seven 
months to hide her shame. 

‘Tf all these fail, then a wretched creature is brought 
into the world. 

‘The next step is to get rid of it. A small conspiracy 
is formed. It is killed, and its remains are disposed of 
as best they rna}^ be. 

“In this attempt great danger is incurred. The po- 
liceman considers it a piece of good fortune to discover 
such a body. He secures it and makes a list of young 
widows .... 

“Many a widow, perfectly innocent, is laid hold of, 
taken to a police station and marched off to a dispensary 
for medical examination. Some of them are declared 
innocent. The rest pay presents to the police and recover 
their liberty from the clutches of the criminal law. 

“To the priest this acquittal is insufficient. His inqui- 
sition is set on foot, and is ended invariably by the in- 
fliction of a high fine payable to himself, on the receipt of 
which the girl-widow is branded* in token of purification. 

“She may have no money to do all this: she is com- 
pelled to court any paramour who will furnish her with the 
necessary funds, and this money enables her to come out 
of purgatory. 

“Her relatives, however, are not satisfied. She is 


DESPERATE CONDITION OF WIDOWS 521 

shunned by them. It then becomes necessary for her 
to sell her body for the sake of bread. 

^'No doubt there are cases in which the girl finds her- 
self strong enough to combat her passions. But what a 
life does she lead ! Privation of food, of clothing, and even 
of necessary comforts ; observance of fasts, which at times 
extend to seventy-two hours ; enforced absence from every 
scene of festivity; the enduring of execrations heaped 
upon her if she unwittingly or unfortunately comes in 
front of a man, a priest or a bride. These become the 
daily experiences of her life, which is often prolonged to 
a great age 

^Thus it will be seen,’’ says -the author in his closing 
remarks, ‘^that the British government by prohibiting 
widow-burning and by stopping short there, have con- 
tributed towards rendering the condition of our widows 
worse than it was before.” 

The great mass of the Hindu women do not feel their 
condition to be so desperate as it is, and therefore thej 
have but a feeble or no longing at all for something better. 
A majority of the widows believe that their fate is pre- 
destined by Providence, and therefore they endure their 
disgrace without complaint. But the more intelligent of 
them complain bitterly. 

One or two instances : A woman from Punjab writes 
m part: 

^‘Separated from her husband, though she lives she 
is not alive! Not only is she deprived of comforts, but 
her friends add to her misery. Though she is in her 


522 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


corner alone and must not speak to any one, they are near 
and talk to her in this way: 

‘'Her mother says: ‘Unhappy creature! I can’t bear 
the thought of any one so vile — I wish she had never 
been born.’ 

“Her mother-in-law says : ‘The horrid viper ! She has 
bitten my son and killed him; now he is dead, and she, 
useless creature, is left behind.’ And this, even though 
the speakers may themselves be widows. 

“The sister-in-law says : ‘I will not look at her or speak 
to such a thing.’ 

“They comfort the dead man’s mother and say: ‘It 
is your daughter-in-law, vile thing, who has destroyed 
your house; curse her; for her sake you have to mourn 
for the rest of your life.’ ” * 

To the above is added the bitter complaint of one of 
those unhappy widows in northern India : 

“Oh! Lord! hear our prayer! No one has turned an 
eye on the oppression which we suffer, though with weep- 
ing and crying and desire we have turned to all sides 
hoping that some one would save us. No one has lifted 
up his eye-lids to look upon us, or to inquire into our case. 
We have searched above and below, but Thou art the 
only one who will hear our complaint. Thou knowest our 
impotence, our weakness, our dishonor. Oh ! Lord ! in- 
quire into our case ! For ages dark ignorance has brooded 
over our minds and spirits; like a cloud of dust it rises 


Modern Hinduism, by Wilkins, 


DESPERATE CONDITION OF WIDOWS 523 


and wraps us round, and we remain like prisoners in an 
old and mouldering house, choked and buried in the dust 
of custom. We have no strength to go out; bruised and 
beaten, we are like the very husks of the sugar-cane, when 
the sweet juice has been extracted. All-knowing God, 
hear our prayer, forgive our sins, and give us power to 
escape that we may see something of Thy world. Oh ! 
Father! when shall we be set free from this jail? Oh! 
Lord, for what sin have we been born to live in this 
prison? Oh! Thou Hearer of prayer, if we have sinned 
against Thee, forgive: but we are too ignorant to know 
what sin is. 

‘^Those who have seen Thy works may learn to un- 
derstand Thee ; but for us who are shut in it is not possi- 
ble to learn to know Thee. We see only the four walls of 
a house, shall we call them the world or India? . . . . . 
Oh! God, Almighty and Unapproachable, think upon 
Thy mercy, which is like a vast sea, and remember us! 
Have our sighs sufficed to exhaust the sea of Thy mercy, 
or has it been dried up by the fire of fierce oppression 
with which the Hindu men have scorched us? Oh! God 
of mercies, our prayer to Thee is this, that this curse be 
removed from the women of India. Create in the hearts 
of the men some sympathy, that our lives may no longer 
be passed in vain longing. Thus saved by Thy mercy, 
we may taste something of the joy of life.’’* 

* The Cry at Night and the Song at Sunrise, by A. L. 

O. E. 


524 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


This is the prayer of one of the millions of Hindu 
widows to that God whom she and her fellow-sufferers do 
not know. 

Will our Heavenly Father not hear their prayers? 

The English government has prohibited the burning 
of the unfortunate ones. But this, according to their own 
statements, has only aggravated their condition, compel- 
ling them to spend a life of long and weary years which is 
worse than death. 

Is there any one who doubts that the gospel of Christ 
is the only thing that can remedy this distress? In the 
kingdom of God there is no difference between man and 
woman, slave and free. But where does such a state of 
affairs exist in the pagan world? 

Christian woman, What advantages you are enjoying! 
Think of your sister in India ! Whatever you do that her 
prayers may be answered will be looked upon with pleasure 
in heaven. 


FORTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 


In the Throng. — Bathing in the Ganges,— Abominable! 

My conscientious guide had repeatedly warned me of 
the necessity of rising early the next morning to see the 
pilgrims bathe in the Ganges. 

I was not in danger of oversleeping myself, however. 
At peep of day I was on my feet. My amiable waiter like- 
wise. He was about to carry the honors away from Chan- 
dray. He knew a little English and had seen more 
strangers. One by one he picked up my articles of cloth- 
ing and assisted me in putting them on. For the sake 
of fun I let him do just what his head and heart dictated 
to him. For once in my life I wanted to enjoy the privi- 
lege of playing the fashionable gentleman, and also to see 
how the boy was accustomed to act ; for it was hardly the 
first time that he served a European. 

When I was dressed he asked me if he could leave 
his place at the station and accompany me wherever I 
went. This question at once made me ask myself what 
personage he took me to be. It was no trick, however, to 
find out that he took me to be a prominent railway official, 

[525] 


526 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and my conscience still reminds me that nothing was done 
to change the boy’s opinion about me. But he has no rea- 
son to complain ; for by saving the hotel bill I was enabled 



Carpenter Worshiping his Tools. 


to give him a handsome tip when we parted, and I believe 
we were both pleased with each other. 

But out into the city again! 

The people, and there were many of them on that 


IN TFIE THRONG 


527 


morning, were all walking in the same direction. People 
from all walks of life, of all castes and all ages of life were 
on their feet in order to devote the whole day to the 
observance of religious ceremonies. 

Most of them carried, besides clothes for change, a 
water pitcher and a basket filled with eatables and flowers. 

That the great mass of them were idolators soon 
struck me. Every now and then a group would be stand- 
ing by some disgusting image, rattling off their prayers 
and occasionally breaking through their devotional ex- 
ercises by yelling in a way which made me wonder whether 
they were shouting hurrah for their god. 

At first it seemed to be a difficult undertaking to reach 
the river through the immense throngs of people that 
crowded the streets. But when my guide walked ahead 
of me and screamed and bellowed like one possessed a 
wide opening was cleared for us. The people crowded to 
the sides, staring at me as though I had been a horrid 
monster. 

Just see how polite they are, I thought to myself. 
Several times I had passed a police station where a group 
of policemen had invariably risen and saluted me by pre- 
senting arms to me. This was politeness. But if they 
had known how poor I was in earthly wealth they would 
perchance have permitted me to pass by without any at- 
tention. They must have supposed that I might be a 
European prince, and therefore the safest course was to 
salute me. 

As an immense space was left open for me through 


528 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the throng there was no longer any doubt about my ex- 
alted position — I must be a prince, perhaps an em- 
peror. A situation like this, it seems to me, ought to 
lend to any man a lofty mien, and the reader must pardon 
me for cutting an unusually important figure as I stalked 
down the broad steps. 

From the above the reader can imagine how cheap 
I felt when incontestable evidende compelled me to be- 
lieve that my guide, walking ahead of me, announced 
something which to the thousands of Hindus was worse 
than the plague, so that they, for fear of pollution from 
an unclean and sinful creature, hurried so far out of the 
way that not even his shadow could reach them ! 

Happy is he that is above such trifles ! 

When we were on the river, facing the city, my eyes 
were struck by a sight which I shall never forget. 

On the previous evening my attention was attracted by 
the huge buildings, the old ruins and the immense flights 
of steps up the high river bank, which seemed to testify to 
a glorious past. Something gloomy and sepulchral brood- 
ed over everything, a sensation which was intensified by 
the fact that the Burning Ghat was the only place present- 
ing life and motion to any appreciable extent. 

But to-day everything seemed to be alive. 

Assuming that the population of Benares is almost 
three hundred thousand, three-fourths of whom are Hin- 
dus, that many thousand pilgrims were in the city on ac- 
count of the festival, and that scarcely any Hindu residing 
in the city would miss the chance to bathe in the Ganges 


Bathing in the Ganges 








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BATHING IN THE GANGES 


531 


on such an occasion, we may approximately estimate the 
number of people assembled on that morning. 

The weather was by no means mild. On the contrary, 
it was rather chilly, and I was glad because I had taken 
my light overcoat with me. 

But here we saw old, emaciated women, and pilgrims 
whose bodies plainly indicated the hardships of a long jour- 
ney, whose foreheads were gloomy and whose faces wore 
the weariness of death, and yet they waded step by step 
out into the cold water. There they would stand for an 
hour, diving the exact number of times and repeating the 
proper formula of prayer each time, disregarding the chilly 
morning breeze which sneaked down the river and pressed 
the wet clothes tight around the lean, shivering bodies. 

Some men and women were carried in palanquins 
down to the river and assisted into the water by willing 
hands. Feeble as they were, their presence here seemed 
to make them happy. 

Big and little, old and young, boys and girls crowded 
forward pell-mell, eager to bathe in the Ganges and pay 
their tributes to it, which chiefly consisted of rice and 
wreaths of flowers. 

There stands a Brahmin worshiping the sun. With 
formal solemnity he forms his hands into a cup, which he 
fills with water from the sacred river and raises towards 
the sun, audibly repeating a short prayer. Now he dives 
several times. Time and again he blows into the air around 
him as if he were chasing away mosquitoes. My guide 
claims that he acts in this way to drive away evil spirits. 


532 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Around the Brahmin a swarm of young people are 
swimming; they talk and laugh and splash water without 
disturbing him. The married women have their young 
ones with them. The latter sprawl and scream for all they 
are worth because the water is cold. But they must be 
submerged. Their mothers hold them by a leg, an arm 
or around the waist, just as it happens. 

Many seem to be in a pious mood while bathing and, 
like the Brahmin, pay no attention to what is going on 
around them. Some groups are engaged in a pleasant and 
animated conversation; others are certainly quarreling in 
dead earnest ; and in one or two cases the controversy de- 
veloped into a hand-to-hand tussle. 

Every now and then the bather will fill his hand with 
water, sip a little of it and rinse his mouth, take another 
mouthful and swallow it. 

The bathers crowded most densely around the Burn- 
ing Ghat. Where I could not endure the stench of the 
water for one minute, where the ashes and bones of the 
burnt dead were thrown into the river, there the pilgrims 
bathed, there they drank of the water. 

Right in front of us a man who is through bathing 
has climbed up into a big river boat and is rubbing his 
face, arms and breast with a mixture which according to 
my guide is made of ashes, cow-dung and water. 

"‘What makes him do this?” 

‘"Holy man, Master,” says my guide. ‘‘Has bathed in 
the Ganges. Now puts on filth, makes him more holy.” 

But what are the people going to do with the water 


BATHING IN THE GANGES 


533 

which they carry with them in brass bowls when they 
leave? 

‘Take it to the temples, Master. Give some to the 
gods. Take the rest home to sick people. Good people, 
Hindu people.’’ 

The bathers were generally well covered. When they 
had finished they went ashore to change clothes. In do- 
ing this they throw the dry garment over the wet one 
and by a dexterous movement untie and drop the latter. 

The wet clothes are now washed, and the owner starts 
off with them in his hand and a pitcher of water on his 
head. 

Along the shore are a number of platforms on which 
the Brahmins are seated under huge umbrellas, rattling 
off their prayers and assisting the pilgrims in their wor- 
ship. The fees paid for this assistance are exorbitant. 

It was plain as the light of day that this bathing was 
not undertaken for sanitary purposes. It is sin that wor- 
ries these people, and they believe that they can wash it 
off in this water. The more filthy it is, the more power- 
fully it acts as a remedy for sin. And it helps not only 
the one that takes the bath, but also his dead ancestors. 

Though it was early in the day the men in charge of 
the Burning Ghat were already in full activity. But I had 
enough of that the previous evening. 

A man standing in the water was washing away the 
ashes from a burnt corpse. He held it in a basket which 
he slowly lowered into the water, stirred the contents 


534 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


with one hand and shook the basket so that the ashes 
poured out as through a sieve. When nothing but a few 
charred remains were left he began to examine these care- 
fully, searching for lumps of valuable ornaments worn by 
the deceased. 

Abominable ! Away from this place ! 


FORTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 


Many Gods. — The Indian Fakirs. — Jugglers. — A Solution. — For 
Spiritualist and Theosophists. 

Here is religion with a vengeance. It has been said 
that to the Hindu everything is religion. When he is sacri- 
ficing, bathing, working, buying, selling, eating, drinking, 
sleeping, sinning, he is always worshiping some god. 

But then a whole lot of gods demand attention from 
the Hindu. I have read that their number is three hun- 
dred and thirty-three millions. If this number is not too 
high we can see at a glance that the Hindu has no time 
to waste if he does not want to skip too many of them. 

I cannot tell whether all these gods are represented in 
Benares; but that there are many thousands of them, is 
testified to by nearly everything that we see. 

There are three chief gods, however, namely, Brahma, 
Vishnu and Siva; that is, the creator, the preserver and 
the destroyer. From these, all of whom have wives, sons 
and daughters, all the other gods have descended. 

A Hindu will adhere mainly to one or the other of 
these chief gods or to one of their next descendants. Thus 
a number of sects have originated, and the first thing to 
1535 ] 


536 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


be done by a person when he has taken a bath is to go to 
the priest to have the mark of the proper sect painted 
on his forehead, the substance used for this rite being 
clay or some other nasty stuff. 

The gods of course have their abodes in the temples. 
Each temple is dedicated to a certain god. But a multitude 
of other gods generally belong to his household. 

The gods require their sacrifices every day. They 
generally receive eatables, but very often money also. It 
goes without saying that the priests take everything sacri- 
ficed. 

Not all gods, however, are contented with food and 
money. One requires that you walk about like an idler, 
begging for bread and devoting your time to ‘‘sacred’’ con- 
templation. Another requires nothing less than that you 
mutilate your own body, incapacitating you for work, and 
that you walk about to be stared at, admired and almost 
worshipped by the crowd. 

Since my early boyhood I have heard a great deal 
about the fakirs. There is a multitude of them in these 
parts. 

They are men who pretend to be dead to the world and 
to have devoted themselves to meditation and the observ- 
ance of sacred rites. 

Down by the river I saw a whole bevy of them wal- 
lowing in the mire. The impression I received from them 
was that they were double-distilled scoundrels who had 
abandoned themselves to a life of the most despicable idle- 
ness. They eke out a livelihood by begging, and people 






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THE INDIAN FAKIRS 


539 


must be generous to them. I was also told that many 
choose this mode of life because they are too lazy to work. 

Well, if a person can make a good living by lounging 
about like a hobgoblin, with unkempt hair and the body 
bedaubed with dirt, it causes small wonder in me that many 
an ingenious soul should devote himself to such a life even 
if his craving for holiness is less than skin-deep. 

But those people who expose themselves to dangers 
and sufferings of all kinds imaginable! 

Here is a man lying in the street where a stream of 
people keep pouring past him the live-long day. He lies 
practically naked in the scorching sun. His mouth works 
incessantly. Otherwise he does not move a limb. He 
has spread out a dirty sheet in front of him. Upon this 
sheet a passing pilgrim occasionally throws a handful of 
rice, pease or maize. Before night he doubtless receives 
all that he can eat. 

But it occurs to me that the man might find a more 
comfortable way of making a living if that is his sole 
aim. 

I asked my guide to give his opinion, and he said: 
^‘Holy man. Master. Poor, holy man. Pray make him 
more holy. Not rich.” 

When I prepared myself to take a photograph of the 
man two snake-charmers came and wanted me to see what 
tricks they could perform. But they abused me fearfully 
as I walked away after having secured a negative of them. 

I saw a man that kept his right arm perpendicular 


S40 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


above the shoulder. He headed a procession which crowd- 
ed the narrow street to the utmost. His hair hung down 
in tangled locks as though it had not been washed for 
ages, and his body was gray with a coating of clay. His 



A Fakir. 

erect arm seemed to be dry as bone, and its nails were 
several inches long and looked like claws.. 

But he was a highly respected man. Those walking 
next to him were no doubt his servants, and those who 
followed were his admirers if not worshipers. 

Bishop Thoburn writes about such men: ‘T myself 
have only seen a very few, and have conversed with only 




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A Devotee 



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THE INDIAN FAKIRS 


543 


two in more than thirty years. There can be no doubt 
whatever about the reality of the suffering of such men. 
One poor creature sat down beside me, and described at 
some length the manner in which he had kept his arm 
in this position until it became rigid. He told me that he 
had suffered excruciatingly for six months, after which 
the arm ceased to give him pain, rfis arm, which was 
kept perfectly upright, had been kept in this position for 
a number of years — if I remember correctly, eight or 
nine — and had shriveled to about half its natural size.’’ 

He that wants to become a perfect devotee must pass 
through six different grades, each requiring a period of 
twelve years. During one of these periods the devotee 
is not only allowed to eat what a Hindu otherwise is pro- 
hibited from eating, but he is even obliged to consume 
whatever people offer him. If he declines to eat some- 
thing, be it ever so disgusting and indigestible, he loses 
not only the esteem and confidence of others but also for- 
feits the merits of his former ascetic life as well as the favor 
of the gods. 

'Tf I had not been in India,” Bishop Thoburn writes, 

could not believe that much which I know these men 
to do could possibly be practiced by human beings .... 

''Many years ago an old devotee lived in the city of 
Najibabad, in Rohilkhand, who had acquired a great repu- 
tation for sanctity. His house, which was on the outskirts 
of the city, was decorated with human skulls. His com- 
panions were dogs .... He was early impressed by the 


544 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


preaching which he heard in the city, and was actually 
baptized as a believer in Christ. He did not, however, 
leave his home, nor put away his dogs, although, if I re- 
member correctly, he removed the skulls, and gave up the 
revolting part of his life. This old man told me, with the 
utmost particularity, that he had eaten pieces of flesh cut 
from dead bodies which he at times would find floating 
down the river, and this one disgusting act did more to 
raise him in the estimation of the credulous people of the 
city than anything else he had ever done. This, however, 
was only half the story. I cannot put in print other things 
which he told me, which I find it impossible to doubt.’’ 

Mr. Skrefsrud told me that he once attended a great 
festival where several men had big iron hooks fastened in 
their backs, and that they were hoisted high up in the air 
by these hooks without uttering a sound or manifesting 
the least token of pain. 

It cannot be doubted that many of these miserable 
wretches subject themselves to such tortures in all sin- 
cerity, believing thereby to become holy in the sight of 
God. But reliable men volunteered information which 
would convince any one that many devotees are swindlers 
who hav^ endured the most terrible sufferings only for 
the purpose of acquiring fame and power. 

The common people look upon such wrecks as demi- 
gods, and woe to the Hindu that dares to cross the path 
of these ‘‘holy” men ! They commit one crime after an- 
other; but in the eyes of the people this only proves that 









^ , ' '-.i 








A Street Scene in Benares 





JUGGLERS S47 

they are far above what is law to others, and to them there 
is no such thing as sin. 

The traffic of these men, who often succeeded in black- 
mailing whole villages, the inhabitants not daring to make 
objections, has received a hard blow from the government 
by way of a general and vigorous endeavor to make even 
these villains obey the laws. 

A great number of Indian fakirs and devotees make 
a living as magicians and soothsayers. You run across 
them everywhere in India, and in Benares they appeared 
at almost every corner. 

The jugglers could do the most incredible things, it 
is true, and they manage to make the people look upon 
their tricks as something sublime. 

People have often asked me what I think of the Indian 
fakirs and their tricks. Is there anything supernatural 
about them? Have they penetrated more deeply into the 
mysteries of life than we, utilizing powers which are un- 
seen and unknown to us? Are their performances based 
on optical delusions, or are they real? Can they make a 
tree grow from a small seed and bear fruit in the course 
of a few minutes? They are said to lie apparently dead 
for some length of time and then let themselves be aroused 
again? 

To all these questions I may answer that I did not take 
sufficient interest in such things to attempt to make a 
close investigation. 

I could not, however, avoid witnessing numerous per- 


548 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


formances which the jugglers executed with marvelous 
dexterity. But I am sorry to say I did not see any one 



A Serpent Charmer. 

produce a fruitbearing tree in ten minutes, nor did I see 
any one wake up dead persons. 

But I talked with many who claimed to have seen 
jugglers put a seed into the ground, and that they had 


JUGGLERS 


549 


seen it grow so fast that in a few minutes it became a 
mango tree which bore fruit. My old friend D. L. Miller 
has seen it. Though he is an old, pious Dunkard, he has 
taken sufficient interest in the art of juggling to make a 
thorough investigation and to expose its secrets. He 
says in his book, ‘'Girdling the Globe’’ : 

“At Agra the noted conjurer, Khali Khan, came to 
, our hotel. A number of persons were sitting on the porch, 
and Khali seated himself on the ground and, without the 
aid of an assistant, performed a number of what appeared 
to us to be wonderful feats. We watched very closely and 
were unable to solve the mystery of his doings . . . Among 
other things he performed the mango tree trick ... We 
had heard much of this extraordinary feat, and it was 
claimed that more than human power was required to per- 
form it . . . First the conjurer gathered some dust from 
the roadway and filled an ordinary eastern flower-pot with 
it. Into this he put a dry mango seed. He covered the 
pot with a white cloth some two yards square. In a few 
minutes he lifted the cloth and poured some water into 
the pot and covered it up again. In his right hand he held 
the skull of a monkey, and this he passed over the cloth, 
repeating some words in Hindustani, and then, when he 
lifted the cloth, behold the seed had sprouted, and two 
small leaves had pushed their way above the ground, show- 
ing that the tree was growing. Again more water was 
added and the pot covered, and when in a few minutes the 
cloth was again lifted, the rustling leaves and small 
branches of a mango tree a foot high met our astonished 


550 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


gaze. But the surprise was greater when Khali dug up 
the little tree and showed us how it had sprouted out of 
the seed and how the rootlets had grown down. He then 
replanted it, poured in more water and replaced the cloth. 
In the meantime he performed a number of feats, all of 
which showed him to be an adept in his line of work. He 
then turned his attention to the mango tree again. He 
raised the cloth, and there stood a miniature tree between • 
two and three feet high, with several branches all covered 
with bright green leaves, among which appeared two 
mangoes, one fully ripe, the other green on one side and 
yellow on the other. All this had been done so quickly 
and so cleverly that, nothwithstanding we had watched 
every movement of the juggler, we were unable to tell 
how it was done. In the open street, without the aid of 
an assistant, the conjurer had caused a mango tree to grow 
and bear ripe fruit in less than ten minutes after he de- 
posited the seed in the dry earth. Look at it as we might, 
it was a wonderful feat. There stood the tree with its 
fruit. To doubt this would have been to doubt our senses. 
To us it seemed that the performance was fully equal to 
what Jannes and Jambres had done. Every one present 
was perplexed. Could it be possible that Khali possessed 
more than human power, and that the claims of the Spirit- 
ualists, after all, were true? We could, by no possible 
means, tell how the feat had been accomplished, but we 
felt sure it was a clever display of sleight-of-hand, and we 
determined, if possible, to find out how it was done. 


A FAKIR 


551 


^'After Khali had finished his trick and taken up a col- 
lection, we called him to one side and invited him to our 
room. There we had an interview with him, and by the 
offer of a few pieces of silver we induced him to give us 
an insight not only into the mango tree trick, but into a 
number of other equally clever performances. 

'The different-sized mango trees were carefully and 
clocely wrapped up in the edge of the cloth in such a manner 
as to entirely escape notice. While he was pouring water 
into the flowerpot, and manipulating the cloth, he man- 
aged to put the first shoot into the earth, and this he did 
so quickly as to escape detection. In like manner the 
succeeding growths were put in. The fruit was an imi- 
tation, and it was so much like the real mango that every 
one was deceived. After we were shown how the trick 
was accomplished we wondered at our simplicity in being 
so easily deceived. But as the old man sat on the floor of 
our room, and several of us sat around him watching him 
closely before he showed how it was done, he performed 
the trick again and we failed to solve the mystery. We 
saw illustrated here that motion is quicker than sight. After 
he disclosed to us the secret, it all seemed simple enough. 
We now had evidence of what we were personally fully 
convinced of before, i. e., that the claim of the Spiritualists 
that the jugglers of India have supernatural power is false, 
that it is based upon the clever ability of the sleight-of- 
hand performers in playing their tricks, and that, as the 
conjurers deceived Pharao, so, in like manner, have the 
jugglers of India deceived the Theosophists.’’ 


352 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


This is Brother Miller’s testimony, and its reliability 
is as firm as the Rocky Mountains. For the edification 
of the credulous Spiritualists and Theosophists, who, of 
course, always base their theories on “scientifically estab- 
lished facts,” I shall further add the testimony of an ex- 
perienced man about the well known power to wake up 
the dead after they have lain in the grave for months. 

That such wonders occur quite frequently in India, is 
well known to most civilized people. The newspapers at 
any rate tell us every now and then about miracles of this 
kind, and there is no lack of learned dissertations* about 
the supernatural forces which the fakirs of India possess 
and which they again and again have manifested by being 
buried and after some length of time rising from the grave 
with sweet smiles on their lips and without having sus- 
tained any harm from their long rest in the bowels of the 
earth. 

Dr. Buckley, who has made such questions an object 
of special study, once wrote to Bishop Thoburn and asked 
him for all the information on the subject that he could 
obtain. The bishop, whose devotion to science is as 
noted as his conscientiousness in the ministry of the gos- 
pel, wrote as follows: 

“I began at once to make inquiries, and was repeatedly 
told that such cases did actually occur; but after trying 
in vain to run down even one of the floating stories which 
reached my ears, I gave up the task as hopeless. The man 
who is able to do it always lives a good many hundred 


FOR SPIRITUALIST AND THEOSOPHISTS 553 


miles distant. The name of his town or village can never 
be given. The exact place and time at which he per- 
formed the semi-miracle are never known. In short, there 
is never anything but the most vague and shadowy rumors 
on which to build such a story. So far as the stories 
which reach Europe and America are concerned, they may 
one and all be traced to a man named Hari Das, who be- 
longed to Kashmir, or possibly to Punjab, and submitted 
himself to be buried alive in the presence of Ranjit Singh, 
in the year 1837. The authority almost invariably quoted 
for this statement is Dr. John Martin Honiberger, formerly 
physician at the court of Ranjit Singh, then ruler of the 
Sikhs. I was personally acquainted with Dr. Honiberger 
about thirty years ago, and had every reason to esteem 
him as a man of veracity and integrity. He was at that 
time very old, but with a retentive memory and clear judg- 
ment. So far as his testimony to an occurrence which he 
had seen is concerned, I should not hesitate for a moment 
to receive it without question; but when I examine the 
story itself, I find it far from satisfactory. Dr. Honiberger 
never witnessed anything of the kind. He says that he 
returned from a furlough in Europe in 1839, 
voyage out he had a traveling companion. General Ven- 
tura, who was at that time in the service of Ranjit Singh. 
In the course of the voyage General Ventura told him 
that during his absence some wonderful things had taken 
place at Lahore; that, among other things, a fakir from 
the mountains had been able to place himself in a state 
resembling death, and which in this condition was buried, 


554 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


and when disinterred returned to life again. Dr. Honi- 
berger says, after speaking of Hari Das as having thrown 
himself into a hypnotic or unconscious state: ‘He was 
wrapt in the linen on which he was sitting; the seal of 
Ranjit Singh was stamped thereon, and it was placed in 
a chest, on which the maharaja put a strong lock. The 
chest was buried in a garden outside the city, belonging 
to the minister; barley was sown on the ground, and the 
space inclosed with a wall and surrounded by sentinels. 
On the fortieth day, which was the time fixed for his ex- 
humation, a great number of the authorities of the durbar, 
with General Ventura and several Englishmen from the 
vicinity, one of them a medical man, went to the inclosure. 
The chest was brought up and opened, and the fakir was 
found in the same position as they had left him, cold and 
stif¥. A friend of mine told me that had I been present 
when they endeavored to bring him to life, by applying 
warmth to the head, injecting air into his ears and mouth, 
and rubbing the whole of his body to promote the circu- 
lation etc., I should certainly not have had the slightest 
doubt as to the reality of the performance. The minister. 
Raja Dhyam Singh, assured me that he himself kept this 
fakir four months under the ground when he was at Jum- 
moo in the mountains. On the day of his burial he ordered 
his beard to be shaved, and at his exhumation his chin was 
smooth as on the day of his interment, thus furnishing a 
complete proof of the powers of vitality having been sus- 
pended during that period.’ 


FOR SPIRITUALIST AND THEOSOPHISTS 555 


‘The same story is related by two or three other 
writers; but it is worthy of note that we have it only as 
hearsay. Dr. Honiberger himself did not witness this 
wonderful scene. It is also stated that the man Hari Das 
had a bad reputation, and that his moral character was 
of the worst description. There is nothing incredible in 
the statement that he threw himself into a state which re- 
sembled death. That can be done by many men, both in In- 
dia and elsewhere. Nor is it incredible that he was buried 
in the presence of Ranjit Singh. There, however, the 
admissions must cease. It is perfectly credible that the 
body was removed from the grave almost immediately 
after the guard had been set. Large numbers of these 
devotees are accomplished jugglers, but we need not as- 
sume that any real deception was used in this case. A 
very moderate bribe would accomplish all that was neces- 
sary. The story of the barley being sown over the ground 
was probably a later addition to the original statement. 
So also with regard to the interment lasting four months. 
The statement was made to Dr. Honiberger by an officer 
of Ranjit Singh; and even if we assume that this gentle- 
man intended to tell the truth, he was no doubt credulous 
to the last degree, and perhaps noticed that he had a 
sympathetic hearer in the person of Dr. Honiberger. 

“The weak point in the whole story, however, is found 
in the fact that a little later an English officer proposed 
to Hari Das that he try an experiment by allowing him- 
self to be locked up in a strong box, suspended from the 
ceiling of a room, so that the white ants could not pos- 


556 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


sibly reach the box, while the officer in question held the 
key. To this Hari Das would not for one moment con- 
sent. The key, no matter what happened, must be in 
the hands of his chosen friends. Dr. Honiberger states 
that many Englishmen lost confidence in his pretensions, 
because of his unwillingness to have the experiment tried 
with reasonable safeguards to test its reality. When we 
remember that the whole occurrence took place more than 
fifty years ago, that all India has been searched over and 
over in vain for another man who can accomplish the 
same wonderful feat, and that only one case has yet been 
located so that even the most rigid examination of the 
alleged feat could be made, one must hesitate to be- 
lieve so extraordinary a story. From the first the Indian 
jugglers and the Indian devotees have been practically 
one and the same, and it is from this extremely doubtful 
source that Theosophy has drawn most of its wonders and 
all its traditions. Our friends in America need not trouble 
their minds about people in India having learned how to 
bury themselves alive, and remain in the grave four 
months, forty days, or any lesser period. Thus far the 
assertion th^t such a wonder has actually occurred rests 
upon an exceedingly slender foundation.’’ 

As already stated, I have quoted all this for the edi- 
fication of the Spiritualists and the Theosophists. We have 
treated of the main pillars on which their theories rest. 
The Theosophists think Christianity is too old-fashioned 
for them. They must have something newer and fresher 
and more reliable to build on. And their refuge is Hari 
Das. They are welcome to him! 


FIFTIETH CHAPTER. 

A Remarkable Deity. 

I saw many kinds of gods in Benares, both living and 
dead. But there was one that distinguished himself above 
all the rest. He was living, for I had a talk with him. 
He looked like a human being and was sitting stark naked 
when I came to him. For the sake of decency he covered 
himself with a cotton sheet and politely rose to his feet 
and remained standing while our conversation lasted. 

He also had other good attributes. How many, I do 
not know for a certainty. But he was generous, for he 
gave me a book written by one of his disciples, whom I 
also had the honor of calling upon. As souvenirs he 
handed me a bouquet, which I still keep, and his photo- 
graph; and when I left him he pronounced his benedic- 
tion upon me free of charge. I was of course well-bred 
enough to ask him what his charges were. I am dead 
sure there was nothing illusory about this seance, for when 
I took leave of him he offered me his hand, which I pressed 
with all my might as a hearty good-by. 

According to the book which he gave me his name is 
Shri Swami Bhaskaranandaji Saraswati. But Mark Twain, 
[SS7] 


558 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


who visited him three years ago, holds that this is only 
an abbreviation. He received a book by another author 
who writes his name thus: 

Sri I o8 Matparamahansapari vraj akacharyaswamibhas- 
karanandasaraswati. 



SHRI SWAMI BHASKARANANDAJI SARASWATL 


I will not exchange books with Mark ; for the name in 
mine is the longest one that I am able to spell. Further- 
more, mine is of a later date, and more complete in other 
respects. 

Originally his name was Pandit (not Bandit) Mati Ram 


A REMARKABLE DEITY 


559 


Mishra. I wish he had kept this name, for it is more 
manageable. But it must have been utterly useless for his 
purpose when he ceased to be an ordinary human being. 

It may be assumed that he adopted his new name 
piece-meal as he gradually rose from a purely human con- 
dition to the perfection which he, according to the book I 
received from him, attained many years ago. 

He is said to have been born in 1833. Quite ad- 
vanced in years, you see. His father was a learned and 
prominent Brahmin, who sent his young boy to a learned 
master, under whose guidance he made such progress that 
in his seventeenth year he was noted for his great pro- 
ficiency in Sanskrit. Then he took up philosophy and 
studied under several famous masters until he soon ex- 
celled them all, the fame of his learning spreading through- 
out India. 

Pandit Mati Ram Mishra — for this was yet his name 
— was married when twelve years old. How old his wife 
was, I do not know. But the book from which I am dig- 
ging my wisdom tells me that she was good-natured, and 
this, you know, is the main thing about a ^vife’s character. 
Age cuts a smaller figure. But all men ought to have 
good-natured wives. It is likely that Mrs. Mishra was 
not less than six nor more than ten years old when she 
was married. They had no children during the first six 
years of their married life, and the son that was born in his 
father’s eighteenth year was — as might be expected — 
a wretched thing which did not live long. 

According to the book that I received, many 


56 o 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


philosophers would have taken such a death to heart. 
But it did not affect Pandit Mati Ram in the least. Oh, 
no. These philosophers have so many different ways. It 
goes without saying that it will never do to compare them 
with other people. And Mishra least of all. No more is 
said about his wife. If she was affected by the loss she 
would have to carry her sorrow alone for all he cared ; for 
now he left her and went his way. 

I do not know whether he had even at this early period 
commenced to figure on posing as a god for the many 
million Hindus that now worship him as such. It is not 
easy to tell what a philosopher at the age of eighteen may 
set before himself as his goal. If a man wants to reach 
lofty heights in life he must aim high while he is young. 
This is a rule which many hold to be advantageous to 
common boys, and it may be that philosophers to a still 
greater extent have found that they can apply it to ad- 
vantage. 

Well, be that as it may. But Pandit Mati Ram Mishra 
— we must use this purely human name no more — left 
his wife, who could not yet have been very old, and started 
on his journey as a pilgrim and scholar. He passed one 
degree of learning and holiness after the other, always 
dropping a corresponding amount of human attributes, 
until he was not only known throughout India for his 
great proficiency in Sanskrit and philosophy, but was 
looked upon as one to whom the world had become noth- 
ing, whose mind had penetrated the innermost secrets of 
the uni\erse, who had seen all things as they are and had 


A REMARKABLE DEITY 561 

become one with God. He became a real yogi. And still 
he was only twenty-two years old. 

Henceforth no one was allowed to mention a particle 
of his old name. ‘'Now he became known to all the world 
as Shri Swami Bhaskaranand Saraswati.’’ 

Still he was not quite perfect. I do not think he be- 
came fully a god until much later. At any rate he walked 
on foot up and down the banks of the Ganges for many 
years, wearing out one piece of clothing after another 
without donning anything in place of it, until he had only 
one narrow strip with which to cover his nakedness. Ar- 
riving at Benares, he threw away even this, presumably 
because clothing is not a divine attribute, and since that 
time he has stayed in a rich man's court-yard, where he 
devotes his time to profound meditation, sitting on a mat 
the livelong day as naked as when he was born. “Blessed 
is the gardener Jagesur, who serves the Swamiji with the 
earnest devotion of a Hindu disciple," it is written. 

It was this Jagesur who upon his master's order picked 
the flowers that I received. 

Gaya Prasad is the disciple who has written the book 
to which I have referred. He is a “banker, contractor 
etc. etc., Cawnpore," has a good education and speaks 
English fluently. He was in Benares during the pilgrims' 
festival and came to pay his master a visit just as the old 
man and myself were conversing. But the audience was 
not long on the part of Gaya Prasad. Having introduced 
him to me and permitted us to exchange a few words in 
English, His Marvelousness reached out his left foot and 


562 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


pointed to it, and the latest arrival, Gaya Prasad, banker, 
contractor etc., solemnly bowed his whole figure to the 
ground and kissed the extended big toe which, with due 
respect for its owner, did not look very much divine. 
Thereupon the man was shown the door. 

I had to write my name and address in a big book 
while His Highness was holding it. He was anxious to 
know my own occupation and still more so to know what 
my father was. I told him that my father was a farmer. 
But that word was too hard for him. He and the inter- 
preter discussed its meaning for some time, finally agree- 
ing that it meant zemindar, that is, baron, and I let the 
matter rest there. For I could not help that my father 
was not a baron, nor do I think himself was to blame. The 
old man hunted up the signature of George Vanderbilt to 
show what American dignitaries had visited him. He had 
been visited by several missionaries. But Vanderbilt, the 
man of the world, was far more highly esteemed by this 
deity than were any of them. 

All things considered, he was a pleasant old man, and 
I would have attempted a lengthy conversation with him 
if I had had a better interpreter. But as soon as I ventured 
beyond trivial every-day matters the translation came too 
much staccato, and I had to give it up. 

The conduct of this man plainly indicated that he was 
an intelligent and educated person, and I received the 
impression that he must surely be an honest yogi. 

He is certainly a man of vast experience, and if all 
his efforts from his early youth have been actuated not 


A REMARKABLE DEITY 


563 

by ambition pure and simple but by a sincere search for 
truth, he deserves our respect. The old Sanskrit was the 
only revelation upon which he relied. Along this line he 
forced his way as far as he could go. 

But if the life which this old man is leading after half 
a century of self-denial is the greatest thing to which the 
much-vaunted Brahmin philosophy carries its devotees, 
then I cannot but pity him. He now enjoys the happiness 
of having millions worship him. But soon he too goes the 
way of all flesh without leaving anything of everlasting 
benefit to the people among whom he has lived. 

How different is the way pointed out to us in the Bible ! 
That too is one of renunciation and self-denial, it is the 
way of the cross. But it is a way of love, a way of self- 
sacrifice, work and strife which ends in rest everlasting. 
The Christian’s life is love, which impels us to work, not 
for a reward in this world or the other, but in order to 
serve others. This love pervades and rules Christian so- 
ciety, where it is really Christian. This love is the gospel 
of Christ. This love is one with God. Such love never 
dies. 

This was not known to our man in Benares. In him 
there was nothing but dry learning and useless mortifica- 
tion of his own flesh. He had nothing but his philosophy 
to live for, and his fellow-men would have to shift for 
themselves as best they could. The Brahmin philosophy 
knows nothing about living for others. And there you 
find the antagonism between Christianity and Brahminism. 


FIFTY-FIRST CHAPTER. 


The Monkey Temple. — The Well of Knowledge.— Animal Wor- 
ship. — Transmigration of The Soul. 

Near the abode of Swami Bhaskaranand is the Durga 
temple, or the temple of monkeys, as the Europeans call 
it. And it deserves its name. 

The priest had just finished sacrificing a goat, the re- 
mains of which were carried away. This sight filled me 
with great wonderment. 

‘This is not a Hindu temple,’’ I said to my guide. 

“Yes, yes, Hindu temple, master.” 

“But a goat has been killed here to-day.” 

“Yes, yes, sacrificed goat, master. God wants goat 
sometimes.” 

“If I am not mistaken,” I said, “the Hindu gods have 
prohibited the killing of animals.” 

“Yes, killing animals. Priest kill animals. Good meal 
for god.” 

“Oh, bosh! You don’t understand!” 

“He no good interpreter,” said the priest. 

Well, how interesting to find a Hindu priest who could 
speak English! 

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THE MONKEY TEMPLE 


567 


‘‘Why have you killed that goat?^’ 

“Sacrificed it, sir. Durga only Hindu temple animals 
sacrificed.’’ 

“Was it your servants that carried away the carcass?” 

“Worshipers, sir.” 

“What are they going to do with the meat?” 

“Low-caste Hindu eat it.” 

“What are you doing with all these monkeys?” 

“Gods, sir.” 

“You hypocrite! You don’t believe that!” fell from , 
my lips. But the priest treated this as a joke and laughed. 

“God lives in them,” he continued. “People worship 
monkeys as if God.” 

“Oh, yes; but you don’t believe that yourself?” 

“Yes, sir. Will you come in?” 

I bowed and was about to enter the temple proper. 

“Shoes off, or one rupee.” 

“Neither,” said 1. 

“Here is my brother. He is a strong giant.” 

“What? Does he want to fight? I am not so big as 
he ; but be not so sure as to who will be beaten. He may 
be sure that he cannot scare me.” 

A small religious book protruded from my coat-pocket. 
This he pulled out and asked me if he could have it. 

“Can you read English?” 

“A little,” he answered. 

“Then I shall be pleased to give you this book.” 

“Walk in,” he said. 

But besides a number of pilgrims nothing was to be 
seen except a few ugly idols, the monkeys and their dung, 
and I soon finished the place. 


568 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


In a court-yard outside of Bisheshwar, or the golden 
temple, I saw the ''well of knowledge.” 

To this well the pilgrims came in a steady stream. 
Each of them bought a cup of stinking water from a priest, 
and they drank it apparently with great pleasure. 

A seven-foot ox was standing on one side of the well. 
He was made of stone. A sleek, fat cow walked about 
wherever she pleased, and she received greater attention 
than the priest. No one passed her without caressing her, 
and when this was done they rubbed their faces and breasts 
with their hands as though that would imbue them the 
more thoroughly with the holiness of the animal. Several 
stepped reverently up behind the cow, solemnly raised her 
tail to their mouths and kissed it. 

What the pilgrims did with the dung of this cow, I 
will not describe. But it seemed to be a precious sub- 
stance. 

The Hindus are kind to animals. They are careful 
not to injure the smallest creeping thing. An American 
business man in Bombay told me that one of his book- 
keepers, an educated Hindu, would be out of sorts the 
whole day if he had been careless enough to step on an 
ant while on his way to the office in the morning. 

Sick and decrepit animals are cared for with great sol- 
icitude. In Bombay , the Hindus have a hospital where 
such invalids are nursed free of charge. Even old and 
helpless bedbugs have a compartment, and great blessings 
are supposed to be bestowed upon him who permits these 



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ANIMAL WORSHIP 


571 

v/ell known creatures to tap his veins for a shorter or 
longer period of time. 

It often happens that even larger animals become quite 
offensive, knowing full well that they have nothing to fear 



Worshipping the Serpent. 


from man. The monkeys, for instance, these villainous 
shysters, chuck full of thievishness and up to all sorts of 
pranks as they are, may behave just as they see fit. Some- 
times they will come in crowds from the woods and begin 
to pull the roofs off the houses. Being gods, however, 
they must not be interfered with. 


572 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The serpent, known for his cunning, including the 
poisonous cobra, is greatly esteemed by the Hindus. It 
is even looked upon as a good custom to prepare a sep- 
arate place in the garden for the accommodation of the 
snakes. 

But the cow is superior to all other animals in holiness. 
It constitutes a kind of unity of numerous gods. Every 
part, every member, every hair is a god. A man is said 
to have committed suicide to atone for the great sin which 
he committed while drinking unstrained milk, thereby 
swallowing a cow’s hair, in which of course a god resided. 

We find it difficult to conceive how people who are 
so cruel in the treatment of their women, for instance, can 
devote themselves to such worship of even the most mali- 
cious and repulsive of animals. But the Hindu sees the 
matter in an entirely different light. 

Educated people surely do not believe that these ani- 
mals are gods. But they all believe in the transmigration 
of the soul. The common opinion is, that a human soul 
must pass through about eight and one-half million crea- 
tures before it reaches its final goal. When a person’s 
father or mother dies no one knows where his or her soul 
goes. But it is assumed as a probability that it entered 
some animal which came into the world at the moment 
of death. Hence no one is safe in hurting living things. 
By stepping on an ant or mutilating a mosquito a person 
may make life painful to his deceased father, grand-father 
or some more remote ancestor. 

It is of course this theory which gradually has induced 
the great mass of the common people to worship animals. 


FIFTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 

Caste. 

Leaving Benares with its fourteen hundred Hindu tem- 
ples and twenty thousand priests, we shall give a brief 
account of caste, the sum total of Hinduism, which op- 
presses the whole people like a night-mare, dwarfing its 
development in every recpect. 

In his divine worship the Hindu is liberal in a certain 
sense. That is to say, he permits every one to enjoy his 
own faith and worship whatever god strikes his fancy. No 
common religious system is known to Hinduism. There 
are numerous schools which adhere to widely different 
systems, and there is a multitude of sects. But they all 
recognize each other as good Hindus as long as the law 
of caste is maintained. If this is violated there is an end 
to Hindu tolerance. 

Originally there were only four castes, namely, the 
Brahmins, or priests, the warriors, the merchants and the 
Sudras, or servants. Subsequently a new caste has been 
instituted for each profession. 

The priests constitute the highest, the servants the 
lowest caste. To try to obtain a social position not occu- 
pied by one’s father is looked upon as the greatest of all 
sins, God having once for all put up the partition walls 
between the castes. To attempt to rise to a higher posi- 
tion involves brazen impudence, and a person occupying a 
higher position is polluted by coming in the slightest con- 
tact with a member of a lower caste. 

[573] 


574 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


According to Manu the earth and the whole universe 
are the property of the Brahmins, God having appointed 
them lords of all creation. Only a Brahmin eats his own 
bread, wears his own clothes and gives alms from his own 
belongings. It is only through the mercy and generosity 
of the Brahmins that other people have the wherewithal 
to sustain life. 

What requires capital punishment in the case of com- 
mon people, the priest can atone for by having his head 
shaved. If he kills a servant or a working man he shall 
suffer the punishment prescribed for the killing of a cat, a 
toad, a dog, an owl or a cow. 

God has ordained that the Sudras shall serve the higher 
castes without grumbling. A Brahmin can compel a 
Sudra to work for him whether he has bought him or not ; 
for the Sudras were created for the purpose of being the 
slaves of the Brahmins. Even if a master liberates his 
slave the latter is still under obligations to serve others; 
for he was born to be a slave, and who can exempt him 
from a service into which he was born? 

A Sudra must not acquire property, because it would 
injure the Brahmins. If he has been able to save some- 
thing the Brahmin may take it away from him without 
any ado at all. 

A servant’s hire shall be offal, from the table, old 
clothes, spoiled grain and second-hand furniture. 

If a Sudra speaks discourteously to a member of a 
higher caste his tongue ought to be cut out, for he is of 
the basest origin. 


CASTE 


575 


If he mentions their name or caste disrespectfully a 
ten-mch red-hot iron shall be driven into his mouth, and 
if he arrogantly proposes to instruct a priest about his du- 
ties the king shall have boiling oil poured into his mouth 
and ears. 

If a man of the lowest origin injures a man of the 
noblest birth by one of his members, said member shall 
be lopped off. If he raises his hand or his cane against 
him his hand shall be cut off, and if he kicks him his foot 
shall be severed from the body. 

One who ventures to sit down by the side of a man 
of superior birth shall be banished after his thigh has been 
branded ; or the king may have his posteriors slashed off ; 
if he spits upon him the king shall have his lips clipped 
off ; but if he grabs him by the hair the king shall imme- 
diately have both of his hands cut off. 

Members of certain castes have abodes assigned to 
them outside of the city. They are prohibited from own- 
ing anything but dogs and donkeys. They must use no 
clothes but those worn by members of other families and 
thrown out after their death. No one is allowed to give 
them food except on broken plates. 

No Sudra shall receive any information whatever, and 
no remains of offerings shall be given to him. Whoever 
ventures to tell him about laws and rights or performs 
sacrifices for him shall sink together with him down into 
darkest hell. 

This is what the code of Manu teaches, and every 
Hindu will submit to it without reserve. 


576 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


A person belonging to a low caste is doomed to grow 
up in ignorance. The only thing that he is permitted to 
learn is his father’s profession, but he must not think of 
improving his condition and he must be careful not to 
come in contact with those below him. 

There are many Hindus who chafe under the oppres- 
sion of caste and testify against it. Still they are bound 
to it. For them to transgress the caste laws would result 
in excommunication, and it is difficult for a European 
who has not been in India to conceive what this implies. 
Sir Monier Williams gives an example: 

^‘A cloth merchant at Ahmedabad was proved to have 
committed a heinous caste crime. He had married a 
widow of his own caste, and to marry a widow is, in the 
eyes of a Hindu, a most awful offence. A woman once 
married belongs to one husband for time and eternity. 
Forthwith he was sentenced to complete excommunica- 
tion. No one, either of his own or any other caste, was 
to be allowed to associate with him; no one was to eat 
with him ; no one was to have any trade dealings with him ; 
no one was to marry any of his children; no temple was 
to receive him as a worshipper ; and if he died no one was 
to carry his body to the burning-ground. On the morn- 
ing after the sentence was passed he went to the bazaar 
as usual, but not a person would buy from him or sell to 
him; he could get no home to live in; and none of his 
debtors would pay him their debts. It was impossible to 
sue them, as no one would give evidence. He was a 
ruined man, and had to leave the country/^ 


V 


CASTE 


577 


A man who refuses to give his daughter away in mar- 
riage before she is ten years old is himself excommuni- 
cated. He may see the nonsensicalness of worshipping 
abominable idols and decline to perform the prescribed 
offerings and ceremonies, and out of his caste he is driven. 
And no mercy must be shown to one that has been excom- 
municated. 

It is a sin to perform acts of mercy for the benefit of 
low-caste individuals. And strangers can receive no aid 
in sickness and distress unless they prove that their family 
connections are of a high order. Bishop Heber writes: 

''A traveler falls down sick in the streets of a village 
(I am mentioning a fact which happened ten days ago), 
nobody knows what caste he is of, therefore nobody goes 
near him, lest they should become polluted. He wastes 
to death before the eyes of the whole community, unless 
the jackals take courage from his helpless state to finish 
him a little sooner, and, perhaps, as happened in the case 
to which I alluded, the children are allowed to pelt him 
with stones and mud.” 

And Rev. J Vaughan says: 

‘'Outside their own caste the weal or woe of their fel- 
lows affect them in no degree whatever. We have again 
and again witnessed along the pilgrim routes harrowing 
illustrations of this sad truth. We have seen poor crea- 
tures, smitten with disease, lying on the roadside passed 
by hundreds of their co-religionists with no more con- 
cern than if they were dying dogs ; we have seen the poor 
parched sufferers with folded hands and pleading voice 


578 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


crave a drop of water to moisten their lips, but all in vain. 
Hundreds thus perish, untended, unpitied, unaided; per- 
haps even before death does its work, the vultures and 
jackals begin theirs, and thus lines of whitened bones and 
blackened skulls border the roads leading to the sacred 
shrines. And whence this worse than brutal callousness? 
What has dried up the springs of human sympathy? It 
is caste.’’ 

We^ can easily understand why the priests have intro- 
duced the doctrine of castes and made it a religion for the 
people. But the fact that they succeeded so marvelously 
well in making vast multitudes of people absorb it into 
their very blood as it were, enjoy it, observe the caste 
laws and take pains to have them perpetuated to the ex- 
tent of the minutest details, this fact only proves what a 
terrible power an ambitious and corrupt priesthood may 
wield over an ignorant and credulous people. 

Caste is an ingenious contrivance, and on the part of 
the Brahmins it has been observed with prudence and firm- 
ness, until it now stands as a mighty bulwark, apparently 
defying all attempts to bring relief to the deluded people. 

The people are satisfied with their condition. The 
common man has been oppressed by the higher castes 
from time immemorial. He has been kept in ignorance 
and degradation, has been forced to perform hard work 
for the merest pittance. He has been brought up to see 
himself in the same light as the other castes see him. He 
looks upon himself as a scion of a polluted, base, wicked, 
despicable race which is not worthy of approaching a 


CASTE 


579 


Brahmin, of performing a religious rite except through 
the mediation of a priest, of receiving the least instruction 
or of occupying any position but that of the slave. He 
has become dull and stupid. 

But the power of the priests is not the only thing that 
is based on this institution. It may be said with equal 
truthfulness that caste is the safest support of the English 
rule. 

We will let Sir Monier Williams speak. He is an Eng- 
lishman himself and knows what he is speaking about. 
He writes about caste: ‘Tts action tends to arrest pro- 
gress, to paralyze energy, to crush manly independence, 
to stifle healthy public opinion, to make nationality, patri- 
otism and true liberty almost impossible . . . And certainly 
the antagonism of these caste associations has helped us 
to govern the country by making political combinations 
impracticable.’’ 

That there are Englishmen who for political reasons 
find it worthy of their country to support this diabolical 
institution, is proved by the following utterance made by 
Sir Lepel Griffin in The Asiatic Quarterly Review : 

‘Tf England continue to rule with justice, moderation 
and impartiality, with clean hands and an honest and eager 
desire to work for the good of the people, there is no fear 
that the Hindus will ever turn against her. And the ex- 
planation of this security is chiefly to be found in the 
caste, which, by depriving the people of ambition, has left 
each man content with his position in life. 

‘‘Last year, Mr. Lowell, the late American minister, 


580 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


told us that one of the advantages of democracy was that 
it enables a man to ‘climb from the coal-pit to the highest 
position for which he is fitted/ But in India, fortu- 
nately for society and the government, the collier would 
have no inclination to climb at all. Every occupation, 
even thieving, is hereditary; and the rules of caste ordi- 
narily compel a man to follow the occupation of his fore- 
father, except where English influence and education have 
displaced the conservative tradition in favor of a more 
democratic view of the rights of humanity. But the Eng- 
lish embroidery is only upon the hem of the mysterious 
garment of Indian life, and the great mass of the people 
are unaffected by the struggles of the young men of our 
schools and colleges to obtain a share in the offices at the 
disposal of the government. Even with these, the spirit 
of caste is still strong, and a wise policy would encourage 
and not stifle it.” 

But as a civilized nation England should, from a higher 
point of view, not practice this prudential policy. There 
is no doubt that England will make herself both super- 
fluous and impossible in India by abolishing caste. If this 
yoke is removed India will be one of the most powerful 
nations in the world and will brook no political supremacy. 
For this reason it is to be feared that very little will be 
done through the policy of England to elevate these deeply 
degraded races. 

But the missionary work, which is eagerly carried on 
or powerfully supported by Christian Englishmen, has for 


CASTE 


S8i 


its aim nothing less than the complete abolishment of this, 
the chief support of England's prudential policy. It will 
damage the English speculators and politicians, but it will 
be an inestimable blessing to the millions of India. 

The gospel of Christ is the only power that can raise 
the masses and crush the wicked dominion of the Brah- 
mins over the minds of the people. But if the gospel is 
permitted to do its work in India the English rule will 
also be a thing of the past in that part of the world, and 
the mission of England among the races of this great em- 
pire will be finished. 


FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER 


To Assam. — The Scotch. — A Pensioned Judge. — The Ganges and 
I'he Brahmaputra. — An Irksome Ride. — Thinking of Bread. — In the 
Christian Colony. — The Medical Art. — Three Lives Sacrificed. — On the 
TeaPlantation. — A Photographer. — The Soil. — Rain. — Famine. 

From Benares we proceed to Calcutta. 

At Rampur Hat Mr. Boerresen met me to accompany 
me to Assam, where he and Mr. Skrefsrud have established 
a colony for Christian Santhals. Mr. Skrefsrud, who was 
on his way home from Calcutta, also met me at this place 
and had a good breakfast ready for me. 

I was delighted to meet my old friends again, and 
I fairly rejoiced because I was to continue my journey in 
company with the venerable Boerresen. 

At Calcutta we called on a merchant from Dundee, an 
old friend of the Santhal mission, with whom I became 
acquainted at Ebenezer, while he was spending the Christ- 
mas holidays at that place. Now he had left his winter 
quarters and gone home to Scotland, and his brother was 
managing his business. This gentleman entertained us 
and cared for us in fine fashion. 

I like the Scotch. The Scotchman has a cheerfulness 
about him which I fail to find in the Englishman. Do not 
[582] 


THE SCOTCH 


583 


call a Scotchman an Englishman. He is a Briton, but no 
Englishman. The Scotchman is usually straight-forward, 
and in his home there is a spiritual atmosphere that per- 
mits you to breathe freely. In him you find nothing of 
that distinguished stupidity and dense self-sufficiency 
which the Englishman finds it so hard to conceal in his 
dealings with foreigners. 

Having taken a good long rest, and having procured 
the necessary provisions, which Mr. Boerresen always 
tended to, we took the train to Gualondo, at the confluence 
of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. 

We arrived there before daybreak in the morning. We 
had to feel our way through the dark to the river and 
embark in a good-sized steamer, which was to take us to 
Dhubri, in Assam. 

Mr. Boerresen, who had become six years older than* 
when he last visited this place, complained of the dilap- 
idated condition of the road, and he thought he would 
never have reached the steamer alive if he had been alone. 
Twenty years earlier the road had been in a far better con- 
dition.- But I have a notion that Mr. Boerresen himself, 
without knowing it, has become so much feebler. He 
has grown old in service, and the years begin to tell on 
him. In his old age he should not be compelled to make 
such long journeys. 

The voyage up the river to Duhbri took us about 
thirty-six hours. 

On board the steamer we met a pensioned judge and a 
tea planter. 


S84 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The judge Thad learnt to know on my voyage from 
Marseilles, France, to Mokame, India. He was one of 
those afifable Englishmen who take pride in being con- 
descending and who gladly salute a plain man by a hearty, 
comrade-like hand-shake. On our voyage out he was a 
first-class passenger, but he often came over to us to at- 
tend our common prayer meetings. He occasionally took 
part in the conversation ; but when his rationalistic views 



A River Steamer. 


failed to meet with approval he would become angry, take 
his Bible and leave us. 

Now he was on his way to Assam to inspect a tea 
garden which had belonged to a relative of his, whose 
children he was serving as guardian. He had heard oi the 
Christian Santhal colony in Assam, and a week previously 
had written to Mr. Boerresen for detailed information as 
to the advantages of founding such a colony. Mr. Boer- 
resen answered by proposing that they make a trip to that 
country together and make a personal inspection. 


A PENSIONED JUDGE 


585 


As soon as we met, the judge began to ask questions 
about the colony. He had been questioning himself 
whether it would be profitable to import Santhals, who 
have the reputation of being the best laborers in India, and 
to establish a colony at the tea plantation, which had been 
confided to his supervision. He preferred Christian San- 
thals. 

‘'I advise you to have nothing to do with a Christian 
colony,” Mr. Boerresen answered. ^‘Pagans are good 
enough for your use.” 

The judge was struck with amazement. 

‘^Have you not a tea plantation of your own?” he asked. 

‘AVe have. But this is due to the wickedness of a 
manager of a plantation. We had never thought of raising 
tea. We were looking around for a place where the San- 
thals could emigrate from their over-populated country 
and till the soil. We negotiated with the government and 
had a tract of land in Assam reserved for us. But no 
sooner was our colony started than a tea plantation was 
opened close by. The owners of this plantation thought 
they had a chance to obtain good laborers. We were 
alarmed, knowing how most of the plantations are man- 
aged. Our fears soon proved to have been well founded. 
By means of promises of good wages the young people of 
our colony were induced to work on the plantation, and 
soon we were in the toils of a series of excesses which gave 
us great worry and grief. We appealed to the manager 
of the plantation, entreating him, who himself claimed to 
be a Christian, to work more closely in harmony with our 


586 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


mission. But he answered that he was there to do busi- 
ness, not to cater to the demands of missionaries. At 
last the wickedness was carried so far that we realized the 
necessity of either moving away entirely or obtaining con- 
trol of the plantation. Through the aid of a friend in 
London we negotiated with the owners of the plantation 
and finally bought it with money received from friends 
in Denmark. Since that time we have been permitted to 
live in peace. We are now running the tea plantation as 
a branch of our missionary work. But we do not use the 
people of the colony on the plantation. We do not want 
them. They ought to till the ground. That is more to 
depend upon in the future. We engage idle people, mostly 
pagans, to work for us, and we keep native preachers and 
teachers among them. In this way the tea plantation has 
become a blessing to many.” 

The judge had heard enough. He said no more about 
accompanying us, but continued to discuss the question 
with the other tea planter. 

Immense masses of water unite at Gualondo and flow 
on to the sea through the numerous branches of the Gan- 
ges. And the traffic on these rivers is enormous. Steam- 
ship navigation is rendered exceedingly difficult by the 
loose sand which is constantly shifted from one side to the 
other, and before any one is aware of it a huge bank may 
have been piled up in the middle of the river-course. On 
account of this the leadline must be kept plying incessantly. 
The Brahmaputra is utterly unmanageable in this respect. 
It cuts out a new course every now and then, throwing 


V 


THE GANGES AND THE BRAMAPUTRA 587 


up large tracts of land at other places. A year ago the 
steamers used to run close up to Dhubri, now an elevated 
tract of land extended a mile and a half between the town 





On the Ganges. 

and the river. Down at the delta great masses of alluvial 
matter is accumulated, and where the water perhaps was 
fifty feet deep in the spring the ground is plowed and 
sowed in the fall. But in spite of this irregularity an 
extensive steamship traffic is carried on along these rivers. 


588 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


The bulk of the freight, however, is doubtless carried 
by the boats of the natives. They are swarming every- 
where. The ugly, ragged sails assist in pulling the boats 
up stream. But the people generally walk along the 
shore, pulling their boats by means of long ropes. 

From Dhubri we continued our journey in ox-carts, 
one having been sent from the colony for each of us. 
We tried to sleep. In each cart was placed a fearfully 
worn excelsior mattress. If I could have pitched mine 
out of the cart, giving me a chance to lie on the even 
boards, I might possibly have slept. But here was a 
series of hills and dales, of holes and knolls which pulled 
my limbs awry and left me weary and sleepless. 

^‘You have struck the best cart, my dear friend,’’ Mr. 
Boerresen shouted to me when I, supposing him to be 
sleeping soundly, attempted to drive away my blues by 
singing. ‘T have a high mountain right under my back 
and a deep valley under my shoulders. What in the world 
did those dear people have in mind when they sent me 
such an outfit as this ! Their intentions were good. They 
must have found these remnants of mattresses after Mr. 
Bahr or Mr. Bunkholdt, who died up there, and have 
supposed it would be a very nice thing to send us them 
instead of plain straw.” 

Upon my assurance that no one could lie in a more 
uncomfortable place than I did the mutual envy passed 
away, and we could continue the journey with a much 
easier conscience. There is always consolation in knowing 


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AN IRKSOME RIDE 


59i 


that one does not suffer alone, and one feels better when 
he sympathizes with another than when he has a grudge 
against him. 

At breakfast time the next morning we had traveled 
eighteen miles. 

At a bungalow we were met by a native from the 
colony. He brought tea and eggs. The man who was 
to haul our provisions was lost in the night, and therefore 
we had no bread. But Mr. Boerresen found a way out. 
We should only think of bread and drink tea with it! 
He had been compelled to do this so often, thus knowing 
from experience that it would do very well for a change ! 

Towards noon we caught a faint glimpse of the Hima- 
laya mountains, and from the colony, where we arrived a 
few hours later, the mighty mountain range seemed to 
be only a few miles away. This was the only chance we 
had to see these towering mountains, the fog shutting 
them off from our view during the remainder of our stay 
in Assam. 

It was agreeable to meet Christian Santhals again. 
Let people say what they please, Christianity has no equal 
as a power of education and transformation. In this 
colony the change was perhaps more striking than in 
Santhalistan itself; for here the people were Christians 
almost to a man, the colony being a Christian community 
shut off from the pagan world. Verily, it was like an 
oasis in the desert, like a light in the pitch-dark night. 

The Christian colonists have established their villages 
and government in perfect conformity with their tradi- 


592 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


lions, excepting, however, everything that relates to re- 
ligious matters. Instead of the traditional seat of the 
council a school-house is built in each village. Here a 
school for children is taught in the day, and in the even- 
ing the head-man gathers all the villagers to evening pray- 
ers, which are conducted by the elders of the congregation. 

At the main station a spacious church building had 
just been completed. Here the people assemble every 
Sunday to services which are conducted by Rev. Pitho. 

The present head of the colony is Dr. Raya, one of the 
graduates of the school at Ebenezer. He had evinced 
natural aptitude for treating diseases and applying medi- 
cine, and the missionaries provided instruction for him 
and afterwards sent him as physician to the colony. 

He began to practice medicine on me the very day 
of our arrival. Not that I was sick. But Mr. Boerresen 
thought I might easily contract malarial fever, and he 
made the doctor understand that he would make him 
responsible for my health. On this account I received a 
dose morning and evening. 

In regard to the medical art this Raya has a competitor 
in his pastor, who even is a specialist in the treatment of 
hydrophobia, and who would run Dr. Pasteur a close race 
if his method were more widely known. 

Mr. Skrefsrud one day told me of several Santhals who 
are familiar with excellent remedies for different diseases. 
He also mentioned Rev. Pitho and his treatment of hy- 
drophobia. 

I asked Raya, who understood a little English, what 


In the Tea Plantations. 





\ 

i 








♦ • 


THE MEDICAL ART 


595 


he thought of this. He said that after having applied the 
medicine to several persons who had been bitten by mad 
dogs, he had come to the conclusion that it is an abso- 
lutely reliable remedy. We went in company to Rev. 
Pitho to see if we could possibly worm out of him what 



Station Building and Church in Assam* 

the compounds of his medicine are. But all I could un- 
derstand was, that old shoes had something to do with 
it. This made me still more curious, and at the earliest 
opportunity I asked the manager of the tea plantation, the 
only European in these parts, to act as interpreter. Now 
it was brought out that the medicine was compounded of 
a certain kind of flower, a kind of plant-louse and skin 
from an animal. The whole of it must be dried and pow- 


596 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


clered. Hot water is poured on it, and the patient drinks 
the strained tea. The story about the shoe was due to 
an association of ideas. 

The large, commodious station building has been 



The Village ofTakurpura. 


standing empty for some time. I was deeply grieved when 
I saw this building. The intention had been to have the 
European manager of the colony reside there. When Mr. 
Wilken Arendrup, a young physician from Denmark, had 
sacrificed his life as the first manager of this colony, the 
building had been erected for his successor, Halfdan Bahr, 
who from love for the Santhals left a pleasant and remu- 


Transplanting: Tea. 









THREE LIVES SACRIFICED 


599 


nerative position as botanist at the government garden 
in Darjiling, to assume charge of this colony. But he had 
not stayed there long before his life too was cut short. 
Now Mr. Bunkholdt was sent there from Santhalistan ; 
but shortly afterwards he followed his predecessors in 
death. 

Since that time the spacious and airy building has been 
unoccupied, and the colony has been managed with ability 
by the native physician. 

The tea plantation bids fair to become a good source 
of income to the mission. It is a comprehensive enter- 
prise and employs many hands. 

There was not much to do at the time of my visit. 
Still I had ample opportunity to see how everything is 
done in the field among the tea bushes as well as in the 
factory. 

On a tea plantation a laborer may get employment for 
his whole family. The sucking-child cannot do much 
thorough work, but the mother keeps it suspended in a 
sling under her arm anyway. 

Accordingly, people of all ages were on the scene. 
Some of them were well dressed and looked contented. 
Others were half naked and filthy. While the children 
of the Christians were well covered, the pagan children 
walked about naked as at other places. 

Many of the elders of the congregation were engaged 
in evangelistic work among the laborers on the plantation, 
and as a rule the heathen laborers do not stay there long 
before they are influenced by Christianity. 


6oo 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Mr. Boerresen engaged a native photographer at Cah 
cutta to accompany us. He followed me all around with 
his large camera to take landscape views. 

He was an educated man and a good photographer. 
At the market-place he was greatly embarrassed. There 
Were five natives of Assam who wished to be photographed, 
but they could not agree with him on the charges. When 
he was ready to take a negative of the market-place the 
five thought they found a chance to have their pictures 
taken free of charge. They all stepped up in front of the 
apparatus, posing as best they knew how and refusing 
to move. 

A bright idea struck him : 

'‘Stand still now ! One, two, three ! There you are !” 

And they were a happy lot, for they did not know that 
there was no negative in the apparatus. They now be- 
came very eager in their endeavors to have the great 
throng of people keep quiet until the photographer was 
ready. 

Next morning he was again on the point of being tan- 
gled up, the worthy five returning to see their picture. 
But he hit upon a fresh ruse and sent them away. 

People speak about rich soil and tall grass. Here are 
both of them. The American prairies can produce no 
counterpart. The grass is wilted at this season; but in 
many places it remains partly standing, so that I can easi- 
ly see how tall it must have been. 

The people around here are comparatively prosperous, 

and a failure of crops is unknown in these parts. 

V 


THE SOIL 


6oi 


What makes sustenance so uncertain to many of the 
millions of India is the ever recurring drouth. During 
the first summer months almost all vegetation is singed, 
and the soil becomes dry as ashes. But all depends upon 
the rainy season. If this brings sufficient moisture, life 
and activity are in evidence everywhere, and there will 
be enough to eat for all mouths. 

But if the rain fails it means death to those who have 
no money with which to buy a year’s supply of food. 

This accounts for the fact that India so often is ravaged 
by famine. 

Drouth and its attendant, famine, always occur only in 
certain limited localities, howev’er, and there is always 
food enough in the country to sustain all its inhabitants. 
But, unfortunately, those who have the goods will not 
aid the sufferers. On the contrary, they are rather in- 
clined to take advantage of the situation by hoisting the 
prices. If law and order had not prevailed in the country 
the needy ones, who always number millions, would have 
helped themselves. But the government protects property 
from looting, permitting the famine-stricken people to die 
like flies. It is proper indeed that the possessions of the 
rich are protected; but to a foreign observer it seems 
strange that human life should have so little value. 

Off and on it happens that the government furnishes 
a little aid, but generally after it is too late. As a rule the 
government makes it the business of the missionaries to 
care for the famine-stricken people. The missionaries then 
appeal to Europe and America for help, describing the 


6o2 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


distress as best they can, but far from adequately. For the 
misery and terror accompanying an Indian famine can 
more easily be imagined than depicted. 

When the money arrives the missionaries must go to 
the greedy blood-hounds whose store-houses enjoy the 
protection of the government, and buy of their rice and 
make soup for the thousands of emaciated bodies. 

There is always food enough in the country, and the 
importation of food-stuffs for the natives is wholly out of 
the question. But the government is either too weak or 
too indifferent to take the necessary measures to palliate 
the disastrous results of the frequent failure of the crops. 

From the above it may be understood how dependent 
the famished victims are upon the aid furnished them by 
charitable people in other countries. It is apt to arouse 
indignation to know that such aid must contribute to 
swell the wealth of the speculators. But until the Indian 
government in some way is compelled to devise and apply 
an effective remedy, this is the only method by which we 
can do something towards preventing the many unfor- 
tunate people from starving to death. 

But in Assam, as I have already said, drouth and 
famine are unknown. Here the rainfall is always suffi- 
cient to insure good crops. 

The average annual rainfall in Punjab is from seven 
to eight inches, but in Assam the water falling in the 
course of three hundred and sixty-five days is forty feet. 


RAIN 603 

The precipitation at Cherra Punji was eight hundred and 
five inches in the year 1861. 

This volume of rain is favorable to the productivity 
of the soil, but it also renders the country unhealthy, re- 
ducing the population to a minimum. 

The Santhals, however, seem to be doing well here, 
and immigration should not be stopped. 


FIFTY-FOURTE CHAPTER. 

Good-by to Santhalistan. — Contradictory Testimony about the Mis- 
sion. — Have Christianity and Paganism a Common Origin? — Calcutta. — 
Many Monuments.— England and India. 

Calcutta, March 13. 

On my way home ! 

I am. tired of sight-seeing. The soul, or the brain, or 
whatever a scholar would call it, is tired of the new im- 
pressions which it constantly has been subjected to for 
the past few months. Now I am only anxious to board 
the steamer and take a rest. We ought to have left Cal- 
cutta yesterday. But the ship-owner changed his mind 
the last moment, wholly ignoring me and my hotel bill. 
The time refixed for our departure is Wednesday morn- 
ing. 

From Assam I returned to Santhalistan, where I spent 
one more week with my dear friends at Ebenezer. 

During my last meeting with the Santhals I found that 
these simple-hearted children of nature had won my heart. 
They deserve to be loved, they are worthy of the labors 
devoted to them, their lives ought to be raised to nobler 
heights. It must be admitted that they are despised by 
the higher races and tribes, and that they cannot well 
[6o4[ 


V 


CONTRADICTORY TESTIMONY 605 

exert any influence upon the civilization of their neigh- 
bors ; but if it is possible to find men who have hearts and 
brains sufficient to continue the work on the plans already 
laid down for the salvation of the Santhals, in a few years 
this missionary field will afford an illustrious instance of 
the unique power of the gospel of Christ to elevate and 
transform a degraded nation. 

Many travelers have expressed their surprise to me 
because they never met a native Christian. In a country 
where the missionaries are so numerous, one who travels 
through the length and breadth of it ought to run across 
some Christian representing the fruit of the work which 
is aided with so much money from home. If you ask a 
business man, an agent, an official or a soldier about the 
fruits of the missionary work you will most frequently 
receive the answer that he does not know a single native 
Christian, and those who know such will generally add 
that they are consummate scoundrels to a man. 

Such testimony is discouraging, and it will not do to 
brand it as false in every particular. On my flying trip 
through Hindustan I met no native Christian, and a few 
churches for Europeans were the only evidences of the 
Christian religion. When I questioned some one in re- 
gard to the matter I received answers of the same nature 
as those alluded to above. Most of the European busi- 
ness men with whom I have talked have not only cast 
slurs upon the missions but protested with considerable 
vigor that all Christian missionary work is harmful. A 


6o6 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


man who employs several hundred hands told me that he 
had been compelled to make it a rule to hire no Christian. 
The Christians had invariably turned out to be arrogant 
villains, who would neither do what they were told to do 
nor brook a well-meant reprimand. ‘‘J^st let those people 
keep their own religion, he added. ‘‘That will do them 
most good. When some one pretends to be a Christian 
and permits himself to be baptized you may look upon 
it as a symptom of rascality. They think they see some 
kind of profit in being baptized, and they take their 
chances, not hesitating to fool the missionary.’' 

There must be many travelers who from year to year 
bring such reports as these from heathen India to the 
friends of the missions, and the harm they have done can- 
not easily be estimated. 

There are, however, so many things that are over- 
looked, but which ought to be taken into consideration 
before the traveler passes his final judgment. There are 
about three hundred million natives in India. Of these 
scarcely two and one-half millions are Christians. If the 
latter were scattered throughout the whole country they 
would constitute less than one in every hundred heathens. 
Under such conditions a traveler might have to talk to 
a great number of heathens before striking one Christian. 
But as a matter of fact the Christians usually find each 
other and settle down in groups. If they were scattered 
in groups of only three and he did not know their where- 
abouts, he might have to talk to three or even four hun- 


CONTRADICTORY TESTIMONY 607 

dred persons before finding one Christian. Perhaps he 
would give up the chase when he had asked three hun- 
dred, return home and tell his countrymen that there are 
no Christians in India. 

The Christians, however, are not scattered in small 
groups of two or three. In many localities there are 
churches which have several thousand members, and these 
churches are not located in the way of the tourist. He 
does not care enough about the matter to hunt them up. 
He only inquires in the large cities, where the wickedness 
of the European population is the greatest drawback to 
missionary work, and he seeks information only from men 
who have as vague notions of true Christianity as he has 
himself. The information which he obtains is in keeping 
with the sources on which he draws. 

In regard to the charge that the Christians are such 
great rascals that a man cannot employ them, it may be 
said that I, on the other hand, was told that most of the 
European employers are such low characters that a Chris- 
tian cannot possibly work for them, and, taking everything 
into consideration, I am compelled to say, though regret- 
fully, that the second charge is the more tenable of the 
two. The mere fact that a Christian will not work on 
Sunday is sufficient to make him obnoxious to the Euro- 
pean who has come to India only to accumulate wealth. 

But through all the conflicting testimonies I was glad 
to be able to point to the mission in Santhalistan. It 
stands before me as a shining light in the dismal gloom ; not 


6o8 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


because there are no other places and missions that de- 
serve the same eulogy, but because this is the only mission 
with which I am to any degree familiar. 

The friends of this, mission, in Europe as well as in 
America, have done well by supporting it, and as the 
expansion of the work requires greater incomes it is to be 
hoped that the interest will increase in the same propor- 
tion. 

Some travelers seem to find so many things in pagan- 
ism which deprives them of all respect for Christianity. 
One gentleman told me he was firmly convinced that the 
whole of America and Europe would turn their backs to 
Christianity in disgust if the masses could see how the 
heathen perform their divine services. 

The numerous and striking similarities are supposed to 
be particularly offensive. They are taken to prove that 
Christianity has its root in paganism and not, as the Chris- 
tians claim, in a divine revelation. 

It must be admitted that such similarities do exist. 
For instance, take the traditions of the Santhals. Baptism, 
and more particularly the baptism of children, is by no 
means unknown to the heathen races. Monasticism is an 
old institution among the Buddhists. Sacerdotalism, sa- 
crifices, incense, requiems etc. are still older. The repe- 
tition of prayer formulas accompanied by a series of move- 
ments of the body is strikingly similar to the liturgical 
exercises performed every Sunday in many Christian 
churches, and there can be no room for doubt as to the 


CHRISTIANITY AND PAGANISM 


609 


common origin of all these ceremonies. Yet it strikes me 
that he who concludes from this that Christianity only is a 
more refined form of paganism betrays ignorance of the 
real nature of Christianity. 

If a heathen had occasion to walk about in our churches 
of a Sunday and see what takes place there, without un- 
derstanding the sermons, he would be very apt to con- 
clude that there is but slight difference between his reli- 
gion and that of the Christians. He would, in other words, 
be apt to reason in the same manner as so many Euro- 
pean travelers in his own country have done. But there 
are two facts which are wholly unknown to him and which 
he therefore cannot take into account : 

1. The Christian professes that all men have a com- 
mon origin and that they once had a common Divine 
revelation. Of this revelation there may yet be remains 
in the traditions of the heathen. Such remains testify to 
a common origin. But instead of weakening the Biblical 
accounts they corroborate them. 

2. Moreover it is a fact that Christianity was intro- 
duced among our forefathers to a greater extent by laws 
than by evangelistic missionary work. The result was that 
they remained pagans after they were baptized, and al- 
though they had to give up some of their pagan practices 
they dragged many old nuisances with them into the 
churches. During subsequent ages some reforms have 
been introduced. Still there remains much that is surely 
more pagan than Christian and which will be dropped 


6io 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


in the same proportion as the spirit of Christ is permitted 
to leaven Christian society. 

The fact that the traveler finds monasticism, special 
clerical vestments, mass, repetition of prayers and a lot of 
other rites observed by different denominations, to be of 
pagan origin, does not justify him in rejecting Christianity. 
For Christianity does not consist in any of these, nor 
does it depend upon them. Christianity is a power, and 
this power is charity. Let everything else drop away. 
Charity remains, and with this, Christianity remains. But 
charity does not come to us from nature. On the con- 
trary, from nature we have egotism, sin, which are the 
same. If we are to become truly charitable we must be 
born of God ; for God is love. And this power will mani- 
fest itself in us in the same manner as it does in God, 
namely, by a vigorous endeavor to advance the happiness 
of the individual and the race. This is Christianity. 

Of this life we have but very little. But that fact does 
not prove that we should reject what little there is of it. 

Christianity cannot be made responsible for the fact 
that many of our religious ceremonies are essentially pa- 
gan. It only shows how little we have and how much 
we still lack of Christianity. 

This, however, cannot be used as a pretext by such as 
suppose to do God’s kingdom a great service by tramping 
about, preaching against church associations, failing to 
conceive any higher aim than that of setting the believers 
by the ears and making them quarrel about church rites. 


CHRISTIANITY AND PAGANISM 


6ii 


Such people are like those missionaries who walk about 
among the heathen, scolding their gods. They suppose it 
is necessary to make them turn away from their old gods 
before they listen to the gospel of Christ. But expe- 
rience shows that such missionaries do more harm than 
good. ^^We never mind paganism in the least,’’ said a 
missionary, ‘'but preach Christ to the people. Those who 
become interested in him and like him will continue 
as we do until the love of Christ has taken possession of 
their hearts, and during this process paganism drops away 
without a word against it from us.” 

Is not this the right way? Certainly. The preacher 
who stands in the proper relation to the Savior will pro- 
claim him and not run the errands of the devil by preach- 
ing church rites. 

But as to my remark about baptism? I propose to 
maintain as an established historical fact, that baptism was 
practiced among the heathen races long before the time of 
Christ, and that the Jews admitted proselytes by baptizing 
them, their servants and their children. Then John the 
Baptist came. Of him it is written that he also baptized 
Jews, proclaiming that they too had to pass through a tran- 
sition in order to become true Israelites. Christ came to 
establish a new kingdom of God, namely, the church. He 
instructed his disciples to go “and make disciples of all 
the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and 
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”* and those who were 


* See Revised Version, i88i — 1885. 


6I2 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


thus made his disciples through baptism should be taught 
?:o observe all his teachings. 

We thus find that baptism was practiced among the 
heathen, among the Jews and in the Christian church, and 
the Christian church was unquestionably the last to adopt 
this rite. Among the heathen it is an official admission of 
the child into society; among the Jews it was an official 
renunciation of paganism and adoption into the people of 
Israel in order to learn and practice the religious rites of 
the Jews. According to the command of Christ the bap- 
tism used in the church is an adoption into the body of 
the Lord’s disciples, which disciples the church undertakes 
to educate and instruct. Christian baptism, therefore, 
should take place where the church begins its work of in- 
struction in the Lord’s teachings; for a person does not 
become a disciple when he has received instruction, but 
when he begins to receive instruction. The grown heathen 
who is attracted by the gospel and declares that he desires 
to familiarize himself with the Christian economy should 
therefore, like Lydia and the jailor of Philippi, be baptized 
with his whole household. This was a good custom in 
the days of the apostles. The same thing occurred in Jeru- 
salem on the day of Pentecost. Likewise at the house of 
Cornelius.' And those who were baptized continued stead- 
fastly in the apostles’ teaching. For the same reason we 
also have our children baptized into disciples of the Lord 
for the purpose of educating them and instructing them 
in the fear of the Lord, 


CHRISTIANITY AND PAGANISM 


613 


Of the origin of baptism we know nothing. But we 
know that Christian baptism is a new baptism ; and though 
its form does not differ essentially from that of the heathen 
rite, the difference between their aims is as wide as the 
vault of heaven. Christian baptism is incorporation into 
the body of the disciples of Christ and admission into the 
school of the Holy Spirit. It is a baptism into the name 
of Jesus Christ. And the heathen have no such baptism. 
The new element in the command of Christ is not the act 
of baptizing. This was known to both Jews and gentiles 
and was performed upon little and big, children and grown 
people. But the new and essential element is, that the 
Lord's disciples shall be baptized into the name of the 
Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

In view of these facts I am unable to see how the simi- 
larity of ceremonies can justify the assertion, that we have 
received our baptism from the pagans. 

Calcutta ranks among those cities which have a million 
inhabitants or more. It does not cover a very large area, 
but the natives are closely packed together. They do not 
need large sites for their houses, and still less space do 
they need for their court-yards. If there is not room 
enough in the house for the farnily to sleep because the 
cow, which is quite bulky, has gone to rest in the middle 
of the floor, the street is open to everybody. It must be 
granted that the pedestrian runs the risk of stumbling over 
the sleeping people along the sidewalks, and sustaining 
injuries. But he who must needs be about after bedtime 


6i4 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


will have to reckon on such eventualities and be on the 
lookout for every step that he takes. 

The Europeans rarely walk on foot, and on that ac- 
count they are not so apt to stumble. As a rule they ride 
either in carriages or palanquins. 

For that reason they do not care much about the 
condition of the streets either. Even in those quarters 
where most of them travel the air is full of dust. Now and 
then one may see a water-carrier engaged in emptying 
his water-bag in the street. But it is soon dried up, and 
the dust flies as merrily as ever. 

The Europeans as well as the rich natives generally 
surround their houses and gardens with high walls, which 
often conceal a wealth and beauty of vegetation which are 
to be found only in Oriental gardens. 

Of embellishments I may mention the Gardens of 
Eden near the fort, and the Botanical Gardens, which per- 
haps in more than one respect have no counterpart. 

In the latter stands the world-famed banyan tree, un- 
der whose branches a whole army may And shelter. It is 
not more than eighty-five feet high ; but its crown has a 
circumference of about one thousand feet. It has a main 
trunk which is not so very thick. But on the other hand 
it has 417 secondary trunks. When a branch does not 
seem to get sufficient nourishment it simply sends a fine 
thread down into the ground and draws nourishment 
through this. While doing this work the thread adds to 
its own thickness, and in the course of time it becomes 




Work in the Tea Factory. 



•• n 




MANY MONUMENTS 617 

as thick as the trunk of a small tree. The whole tree now 
looks like a little forest. 

The Zoological Gardens and the museums are also worth 
seeing. 

The English have endeavored to make themselves im- 
mortal here by a multitude of monuments. What is meant 
by all these bronze and iron statues, I cannot exactly make 
out. But I wonder if the natives look upon them as the 
white man’s gods. At any rate I have grave doubts about 
this kind of monuments among the pagan Hindus. They 
can hardly be looked upon as emblems of enterprise and 
progress. To me it appears that a people is most apt to 
begin to perpetuate itself in stone and bronze when it is 
growing old, when it is doting, when it is going the way of 
all flesh. In America, where everything is still new, we 
have so much else to build up, to arrange and to put into 
order, that we have had neither time nor inclination to 
adorn our surroundings with statues of our departed he- 
roes. In Europe it is said that we are lacking in artistic 
taste. Maybe. But it strikes me to be both untimely and 
out of taste to erect expensive monuments among dung- 
hills and morasses, where a traveler must hold both nose 
and mouth while he is taking a look at them. Among us. 
it is supposed to be more seemly to clear the ground first. 
And in this regard it would do the English no harm at 
all to learn from us; for India is still in need of a great 
deal of that rough work of clearing and putting things in 
order which has been carried on with such vigor and 
cess in America. 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


When travelers meet out here they often ask each other : 
‘'What good has England done for India? Has the Eng- 
lish rule injured or benefitted the country?'’ 

Let me make a confession at once. I firmly believe 
that the supremacy of England has been of inestimable 
advantage to the country as a whole. Not that the aim 
of the English policy has been good. It is based on 
egotism, which is a refined expression for sin. But even 
in this case we may apply the words, “Ye thought evil 
against me, but God meant it unto good.” The numerous 
peoples who were hostile to each other are kept in check. 
They are not permitted to fight each other incessantly; 
but as fellow sufferers under the same yoke they may in 
the course of time learn to cultivate a better feeling 
among themselves. 

An extensive and complete railway system has been 
built among them. It is true that military operations ne- 
cessitated the construction of the railways; but they have 
nevertheless rendered the people inestimable services. By 
facilitating communication and by packing the passengers 
together without regard to birth and merits, the railways 
have dealt a mighty blow to caste. 

Upon the whole the government has done all that it 
possibly could do to protect and advance the commercial 
interests of England. Evidently the English speculators 
are not in India for the sake of their health, nor for the 
sake of the welfare of the dusky races ; therefore it cannot 
be expected that what the government has undertaken at 



The Banyan Tree in the Botanical Garden in Calcutta. 





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ENGLAND AND INDIA 


621 


their suggestion should always redound to the greatest ad- 
vantage of the population of the country in the proper 
sense of the term. But here and there the interests coin- 
cide^; and when so little harm has been done in other 
respects, we meet with another and very important factor 
which deserves credit for this. I refer to the missions. 

Here England takes the lead. In the English nation 
there are antagonistic forces — commercial interests and the 
missions. Eor years they have been engaged in a mortal 
struggle. Wherever the missionary has gone with the 
gospel of Christ the agent of the English merchant has 
followed with his idols, his liquor and his European vices. 
This is at least true as to India. It is not merely loose 
talk, that the great mass of the idols in the market of Be- 
nares were manufactured in England and exported in 
English ships. It is a firmly established fact. 

It goes without saying that the work of the missiona- 
ries in the fields must clash with this sort of commercial 
interests. The energetic and praiseworthy work in the in- 
terest of Christianity and enlightenment which the English 
missionaries are carrying on in India is a thorn in the 
flesh of the merchant and the politician. I have men- 
tioned instances on former occasions. If the cause of the 
missions, which surely have a great future, is carried to 
victory, blending the millions of India into one enlightened 
Christian nation, then this people will not only be able to 
manage its own affairs in every particular ; but as I have 
hinted in another connection, the English supremacy will 


622 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


be an absolute impossibility, commercially as well as po- 
litically. 

If this is the consummation of the missionary work 
it is easy to explain why the politicians and the specula- 
tors have such a grudge against it. But it is the more 
praiseworthy that patriotic and philanthropic Englishmen, 
many of whom reside in India or have important business 
connections there, support this work or even make it the 
chief aim of their lives. These men are the salt of Eng- 
land and — the hope of India. 


FIFTY-FIFTH CHAPTER. 


A Cattle-Steamen— A Prompt Board of Health — An Interesting 
Frenchman. — Irish Stew. — In Penang.— In Singapore.— Time for Our 
Departure changed. — Extra Consumption of Coal.—One Hour too late. 

We are on our way to Hongkong. 

Far be it from me to say that ours is a first-class 
steamer. No such thing plies regularly between Calcutta 
and Hongkong. But so far we have managed to get along 
without injury to life or limb. 

Having arrived on board I discovered to my horror 
that my conveyance was a cattle steamer, and when I 
saw that the way to my cabin lay between a flock of 
goats on one side and one of sheep on the other I im- 
mediately had an errand to the captain. But he had not 
dressed yet, and when he turned up he swore that he 
had nothing to do with the passengers. This was a cattle 
steamer, and the passengers would have to rough it as best 
they could. 

I was not the only one standing on the deck, however, 
with his hat full of question marks. Several well-dressed 
ladies and gentlemen had come on board provided with 
first-class tickets. Their prospects were as desperate as 
[623] 


624 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


mine, and it grew upon our minds that our circumstances 
could not be improved by means of grumbling and frown- 
ing. Having no choice, we might as well leap as crawl 
into it. Hence we indulged in sarcasms and witty remarks, 
endeavoring to master the situation to the extent of our 
endowments. 

We were greatly surprised at being ordered to land 
again all of a sudden. Every living soul, excepting the one. 
thousand goats and sheep which had just been dragged 
on board through clay and mud. We had to be inspected 
by the health commissioners before we were permitted 
to continue our voyage in company with those blessed 
animals. The plague had broken out a few days previ- 
ously at Calcutta, and in order to prevent the spreading 
of the contagion orders had been given to have the pas- 
sengers on all out-going steamers examined. The na- 
tives, who occupied the steerage, were placed in a row 
along the shore, and we whites were ordered to assemble 
on a quay. Then came the commissioners. They acted 
promptly. Wonder if those fellows had been in America 
to learn to get a move on themselves. They only shouted 
down to us that we were all right, and more truly they per- 
haps never had spoken. 

The one thousand natives were as quickly disposed of, 
and we were all satisfied with the examination. 

There was one exception, however. This was an elderly 
French gentleman. He was not tall of stature but very 
comprehensive, and his better half still more so. He and 


AN INTERESTING FRENCHMAN 


625 


his spouse were on a voyage around the globe. They were 
accompanied by two servants from the very city of Paris, 
and they made it known in different ways that they were 
people of noble birth. Neither of them knew much Eng- 
lish, but they had a way of utilizing the supply they had 
stored up. Our Frenchman was very eager to talk, and 
our captain at first treated him with extreme politeness. 
But matters soon changed. The captain thought the 
questions came too thick and fast, and perhaps some of 
them were a trifle importunate. The Frenchman wondered 
whether really the most scrupulous measures had been 
taken to prevent the plague from being taken on board. 
But when the captain said that he would pardon the plague 
for everything if it would only come to Paris, there 
was an end to the friendship, and during the following 
week scarcely a day passed without those two gentlemen 
speaking harshly about each other, the captain using 
coarse language, the Frenchman speaking in a refined, 
sarcastic vein. 

The animals and the aroma which surrounded them 
soon became familiar to us; and when the goats were 
standing on the hatches outside, peeping through the win- 
dows and saying ba-a-a! while we were dining it was a 
welcome variation in the midst of the captain’s witticisms, 
which at times were stale or rude. 

Between the meals nothing was so thoroughly dis- 
cussed as the bill of fare. The Frenchman gave us the 
pitchy and his remarks in broken English were so precious 


626 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


that some one was always ready to broach the subject of 
French cookery and Irish stew. The last mentioned dish 
was served almost every day, and it was highly nauseat- 
ing to the Frenchman. In some way or other both he 
and his wife might have put up with the rest of our bill 
of fare if they only could have procured something better 
for their two servants from Paris. But it cut him to the 
core to see those servants compelled to live on such stuff 
without any guilt on the part of the sufferers. 

Not only the captain of the steamer but the very pre- 
sident of the steamship company, who was our fellow- pas- 
senger, had to endure the Frenchman’s diatribes. 

At Penang we were threatened with a quarantine of 
several days. But we escaped by landing all native steer- 
age passengers on an island, where they and their baggage 
were thoroughly disinfected, while we had to put to sea 
again until their places on board had been cleaned. This 
gave us a chance to make a pleasant trip around the island 
on which Penang is located. 

Penang is growing up into a commercial town of some 
note, and it is already an important station for English 
trade connections in the Orient. The population is a 
strange mixture. The Europeans, especially the Eng- 
lish, are well represented. The town is practically Eng- 
lish, and it wears a European aspect. The Malays con- 
stitute the bulk of the population. But there are also 
large numbers of Chinese laborers and merchants. 

Among the curiosities of Penang is a little brook which 


IN SINGAPORE 


627 



forms an insignificant waterfall in leaping down a rocky 
precipice. But this waterfall is advertised as nothing else, 
and it must be the chief source of revenue to the coach- 
men and the jinrikishamen. No sooner is a tourist on 
shore than he is asked to take a trip to the waterfall. And 


A Street in Penang. 

if one takes a seat in a vehicle without saying a word 
he may be sure to turn up at the falls. But when he ar- 
rives there he will admire the way these people know how 
to improve their resources. 

Singapore is the most beautiful seaport town that I 
have seen. The entrance is simply charming. This place 
being located only a few miles from the equator, there is 
no appreciable difference between the seasons. The cli- 


628 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


mate I would call rather pleasant. There is not the op- 
pressive summer heat of India, and the air is not so dry. 



Malays. 

The vegetation is rich and diversified, and of fruit there 
is an abundance of varieties not seen in many places. 

The population is composed chiefly of Chinamen, and 
this is the finest selection I have seen of the sons of the 



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IN SINGAPORE 


631 


celestial kingdom. They prove themselves to be not only 
active and energetic, but they display a grit and push 
which go to demonstrate what this race may become if 
granted a more liberal development. 

Our Frenchman said good-by to us in Singapore. The 
French consul met him on board and conducted him to the 



Entrance to the Government Building in Singapore. 

hotel. He wished to continue the voyage with a French 
steamer and a French cook, but no Irish stew. He assured 
me that he would rather live on gammelost and fladbrod 
(a kind of Norwegian bread) than on Irish stew. He had 
traversed Norway lengthwise and crosswise as early as the 
year 1869. Then he had learnt to speak a little Norwe- 
gian and to eat gammelost, so that he knew what he was 
talking about. As I passed the dining-hall in the hotel 


632 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the French couple were already seated at the table. He 
sprang up and invited me to come and dine with him. But 
I had already accepted an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. 
Sherman of Boston to be their guest at the same hotel 
during our stay at Singapore. When we entered the din- 
ing-hall a little later the Parisians were gone ; but the bill 
of fare remained, and on this we read among other desig- 
nations, ‘Trish stew.’’ We promised ourselves fun when 
we were to meet them at the breakfast table next morn- 
ing, and we got it. But the Frenchman protested that 
this was not the same kind of Irish stew. It contained 
much meat and little potatoes. This might do. ‘‘But 
Irishman very poor man. Plenty potatoes, very little 
meat;” and that was the kind of stew that we had while 
on board the steamer. No objection could be raised 
against the cocJcs of this hotel. 

When we left the steamer in the morning the captain 
had fixed the time for our departure at three o’clock in 
the afternoon the next day. This left us plenty of time for 
sightseeing, and we laid our plans accordingly. We had 
just returned from a pleasant outing in the jinrikisha, a 
vehicle pulled by one man, when the purser, trotting and 
gasping for breath, came and told us that the steamer had 
been waiting for us a whole hour. How was that? Ac- 
cording to our calculation we still had two hours to spare. 
Well, the president of the company had received informa- 
tion which necessitated a change of the time of departure. 

“We shall be on board by three o’clock,” said Mr. 
Sherman. “We cannot be there any earlier.” 


IN SINGAPORE 


633 


‘Then we must sail away/’ said the man and left us. 
And what should I do, who did not have enough 
money to buy another ticket! 

“Keep cool,” Mr. Sherman said. “If he departs we 



Various Kinds of Fruit. 

shall be amply paid for our stay here as well as our delay in 
Calcutta.” 

Between us the president was a snobbish Armenian 
who had managed to rise until he had become one of the 
most influential business men of Calcutta. On this occa- 
sion himself and the foreman at his iron works were on 
their way east to inspect a large steamer, for the purchase 


634 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


of which he was negotiating. He was prevented from go- 
ing on the day fixed for our departure, and on that ac- 
count all of us had to stay in Calcutta waiting for him al- 
most a week. This is my conclusion from a few words 
that escaped his foreman, who is my state-room com- 
panion. At Singapore he had received more definite in- 
formation as to the place where he might see the steamer. 
But in order to reach it he would have to be in Hongkong 
no later than the eve of Good Friday. Hence the change 
of the time. By means of a lead of three hours and the 
extra consumption of a few hundred tons of coal Hong- 
kong might be reached in time if no storm interfered. This 
was the calculation. 

We reached the quay exactly five minutes before three 
o’clock. Our ship was not there, and Mr. Sherman was 
just giving orders to have us taken to the American con- 
sul when we were told that a steam launch was waiting for 
us to take us to the steamer, which was restlessly rocking 
to and fro about one mile off the harbor. 

Mrs. Sherman and myself were somewhat afraid that 
the people on board the steamer would make fun of us 
upon our arrival. But Mr. Sherman made us understand 
that he would dispose of that part of the game. And so 
he did. Both the captain and the shipowner were stand- 
ing at the gangway as though each of them were ready 
to gobble up his man. But Mr. Sherman ran up the ladder, 
stared them squarely in the face and asked them if they 
took us for Chinamen or missionaries whom they could 


ONE HOUR TOO LATE 


635 


handle as they pleased. Not a word in reply, and not a 
muttering afterwards either. But the engine at once be- 
gan to beat, and no attempt was made to save coal. 

From day to day the shipowner walked about, anx- 
iously inquiring how many miles she had made during the 
past twenty-four hours and asking the captain whether she 
could make her mark. During the first days the captain 
spoke in a rather hopeful vein. But then we encountered 
contrary winds, and just at dusk we anchored at the en- 
trance to the harbor of Hongkong. One hour earlier, and 
she could have glided into the harbor. As we weighed 
anchor next morning we were passed by the steamer with 
which our nervous shipowner was so anxious to continue 
his journey. It had cost him hundreds of dollars’ worth 
of coal to reach the place in time, and now he blamed 
us for his vexation, delay and loss. 

But Mr. Sherman thought it cost us passengers fully 
as much both in cash and patience to wait for him in Cal- 
cutta; and now we had just about squared our accounts. 


FIFTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. 


The Easter Holidays m Hongkong. — Soldiers and Warships.— 
Drunkenness among Our Warriors. — Comfortable Vehicles. — Swift Run- 
ners.- -The Police of Hongkong.— Mendacity.— Small Boats used as 
Dwellings. 

We came to Hongkong on Easter eve. 

Hongkong is an English city, and the Englishmen have 
a large number of holidays which are scarcely known in 
America. The Easter holidays had commenced on Maun- 
dy Thursday, and all business houses were closed until the 
next Tuesday. The rats had taken a square meal out of 
one of my shoes during the last night I was on the teamer, 
and now I had to walk about during the Easter holidays 
with a part of one of my socks exposed to the view of the 
public. But being Mr. Sherman’s guest now too at the 
largest hotel in the city, I was not suspected of being a 
tramp anyway. 

Hongkong is built in terraces along the sides of a 
mountain which rises almost two thousand feet above the 
sea. The island belongs to the English, and the plan of 
the city is wholly European. A cable tramway carries 
passengers up and down the mountain slope, accommodat- 

[636] 


SOLDIERS AND WARSHIPS 637 

ing the numerous citizens whose residences are located 
high up the mountain. 

The view from the summit is quite charming. But the 
city below is lost, while just above the verge of the decliv- 
ity your eye sweeps the harbor with its numerous ships, 
and the islands on the opposite side. 

Hongkong is England’s chief naval station in the Asia- 
tic waters, and there are always several warships in the 
harbor. A strong garrison is also kept at this place, and 
at times the streets are swarming with soldiers in blue or 
red uniforms. 

After our war with Spain Hongkong has become one 
of our neighboring cities, being located only a three days’ 
voyage from Manila, and the harbor is often visited by our 
warships. Just now there were no less than four such. 
Three of them had belonged to Spain and had been taken 
here by Lieutenant Hobson to be repaired. We boarded 
two of them, which were standing on dry land and were 
practically minus both sides and bottoms. It seems to me 
that bran new vessels might have been built for what it 
cost to repair these old boxes. But honor, you see, and 
that is expensive at times. Now we may evermore point 
to these as unquestionable proof of our terrific fighting 
qualities. 

One of our well manned little gunboats lay in the dock, 
and our blue-coated heroes had furlough every day. As an 
American citizen I felt proud when my eye struck the 
stars and stripes waving from the little steam launch which 


638 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


carried a squad of our brave men ashore. But more than 
once I was ashamed when I met a Chinaman trundling 
an American officer who was dead drunk, in a wheelbar- 
row. I have heard a great deal about intemperance in the 
American navy, and I have believed part of it ; but it never 



The Harbor of Hongkong 

occurred to me that we were to be advertised thus in for- 
eign seaports. 

I talked with several soldiers, and they assured me that 
the condition of the army at Manila was still worse. De- 
bauchery of all descriptions was not only tolerated but 
actually encouraged by the officers, who set the young men 
a bad example and led them to speedy ruin. I would not 


DRUNKENNESS AMONG OUR WARRIORS 639 


have mentioned it here unless I had ascertained from other 
and absolutely reliable sources that it is a sad truth which 
vshould arouse the American people to indignation. We 
began this war in the name of civilization and humanity. 
The nation demanded it, and she gave her best men into 
the hands of the government to liberate an oppressed 
people. The government was not authorized to lead them 
to moral perdition, to disgrace our civilization am.ong the 
heathen. Let every conscientious citizen step forth and 
make the proper party responsible for the young men ! Or 
will the fathers and brothers of the young men shoulder the 
responsibility themselves? 

The most interesting personages in Hongkong are the 
jinrikishamen. We met a number of them both in Penang 
and in Singapore. But in those towns they find the horses 
to be dangerous competitors In this city it is different. 
I saw only two horses in the course of the week I stayed 
there, and they were not in use. If one desired a ride, the 
cheapest and most comfortable way was to be carried in a 
palanquin or drawn in a jinrikisha. The prosperous Euro- 
peans generally keep special carriers. It is cheaper than to 
keep a horse. But to the traveler the two-wheeled vehicle 
seems more attractive. When a person is ready to start he 
simply walks out on the street, steps into a jinrikisha and 
tells where he wants to go, and off he goes at a trotting 
speed to the tune of five cents an hour. 

It is actually incredible how fast these men can run. 
In Singapore the Shermans and I mounted one jinrikisha 


640 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


each, and we covered a distance of about seven miles in 
one hour. The men ran a race, laughing and shouting 
the whole distance, while the sweat coursed in streams 
down their naked backs. We told them not to run until 
they burst. I do not know whether they understood us, 
but they only laughed and increased* their speed. 



A Street in Hongkong. 

I cannot tell anything about the lungs of these men, 
but their legs and feet were very highly developed. 

But they do not want to pull up hill. On Easter 
Sunday we were going to the graveyard, and we came to 
a little hill. My man, who was in the lead, suddenly 
stopped, dropped the shafts, faced me and said : ‘‘Walkee, 
too high’’. This he took to be English, and it could 
easily be understood. I had to step out and walk. It was 
^hoo high” for him to pull, and the others followed my 
example. 


THE POLICE OF HONGKONG 


641 


The policemen of Hongkong are distinguished from 
the common run of people not only by their uniforms but 
chiefly by their complexion, all of them having been impor- 
ted from northwestern India. Their complexion is dark 
brown. They are well formed, and according to my notion 
they are the finest type of men on earth. 

It was a shrewd move on the part of the English to 
import these men to keep order among the Chinamen of 
this place. They are both tall and strong, and they 
cherish a certain aversion to all Chinamen and Chinese 
affairs. So there is no danger of collusion between 
them and the natives in case the latter should cause 
trouble. 

I witnessed how one of these policemen settled a quar- 
rel between a Chinaman and one of our Nowegian-born 
marines. The question was how much the soldier should 
pay for a jinrikisha ride. The Chinaman was not conten- 
ted with what he had received, while the blue-jacket 
claimed he had paid according to the regulation ; when the 
policeman had heard both sides, without understanding a 
word — he was evidently devoid of even the least smattering 
of either English or Chinese — he placed his fist under the 
chin of the Chinaman, who took to his heels, pulling his 
rickety jinrikisha after him. 

Of course the policeman knew who was apt to be the 
biggest liar of the two, the Chinaman having the reputa- 
tion of being unexcelled as a prevaricator. The Hindu is 
smooth; but John Chinaman is said to go him one better. 


642 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


And lying is accompanied by dishonesty and stealing. 
At times he will carry it so far that it must be regarded as 
an art in its way. I recently read about one who 
came into the court house in Hongkong just as the 
supreme court was in session, and began to raise a ladder 
near the judge. The judge and the officials were somewhat 
dismayed at the untimely action of the man and asked him 
what he was up to. He claimed that he had been ordered 
to take the clock to the watchmaker for repairs. But if he 
caused any trouble he would gladly leave and return at a 
more convenient time. Oh, no; the judge held that when 
he had already caused so much of a disturbance he might 
as well take the clock with him and be through. He 
was not the man to refuse such an advance, and the clock 
never returned. This game could not be beaten even in 
America. 

I do not know whether I am right, but I have a vague 
suspicion that a Chinaman does not think it is a very grave 
sin to lie a little to a foreigner or cheat him out of some 
of his earthly belongings. If he is very successful, avoiding 
punishment, it is a question whether he does not even look 
upon it as something meritorious. But he is well aware 
that it is sinful to lie to and steal from another Chinaman. 

Though there is room enough on dry land hundreds 
of families are living in small boats all around the harbor. 
The family live from the water either by fishing or by car- 
rying passengers back and forth. And in China it seems 
to be a rule that those who make a living on the water 
should also dwell on the water. 


SMALL BOATS USED AS DWELLINGS 643 


These boats are provided with loose decks which may 
be taken apart and removed. Below this is the sleeping 
room. There a person may lie down, but there is not room 
enough for sitting erect. The wife acts as captain. She 
stands at the helm, manages the sail and commands the 
crew with a nimbleness of tongue and a loudness of voice 
which borders on the indescribable. 

Out of curiosity I took a ride with one of these family 
boats. We had a good breeze, and the sail was well filled. 
But the mother still kept the other two grown women at 
the oars, and the boat made such speed that the spray flew 
around us. Two boys on the deck were making fun of me ; 
and five chickens were perched on the gunwales, looking- 
out upon the water. A strange sound was heard right 
under me, and the looks of the mother told me that I had 
to shift my position. She raised a trap door and with one 
hand pulled out a screaming little boy, whom she slung 
upon her back and fastened with stout ribbons, without 
minding the little fellow’s actions. But she did not for a 
moment cease lashing the other women with her tongue, 
and they in turn made good use of their talking apparatus 
in self-defense. As to the whereabouts of the man, I have 
no idea. Perhaps he was sleeping below. He might as 
well do so, I think ; for I could see no use for him on deck, 
his worthy spouse ruling everything there. 


FIFTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER- 


Opium. — A devilish Mission. — The English Government in the Role 
t>T Opium Smuggler. — A Heathen Government confiscates Queen Vic- 
toria’s Opium. — The Opium War. — Warnings. 

Opium? Poor people ! 

I saw more than I desired of the use and effects of this 
article among the Chinamen that accompanied us from 
Singapore. In Hongkong I had ample opportunity to see 
opium smokers who were older in the service, and there 
are uncomfortably many dens where the vice is cultivated 
before the eyes of the public. 

During my stay in India I repeatedly passed through 
the city of Patna, a station where the government manufac- 
tures large quantities of opium. I noticed that the opium 
chests which were exported were marked with the stamp 
of Empress Victoria, but at that time I did not think of 
the significance of this label. Now that I have seen a little 
of the effects of the use of opium, which I shall not under- 
take to describe in detail, I have also thought and read 
more about the cultivation of and trade in this poison, and 
in this connection I thought it would not be far out of 
the way to point out a few historical facts. 

[644] 


OPIUM 


645 


The opium plant has been known in China from ancient 
times. The poppy has been cultivated, and opium has 
been prepared and used by the natives. But as the Chinese 
opium is mild it does not acquire such a powerful dominion 
over its victim as does the article made from the Indian 
plant. 



Opium Smoking. 

In India too the opium plant was known at a remote 
period. But as it attained its greatest perfection in that 
country the people at the same time also learned to realize 
the dangerous qualities of opium. The heathen, therefore, 
prohibited this destructive poison by a religious law. Some 
of the rulers went to the extent of prescribing capital pun- 
ishment for using opium. 

But that happened before Christian England acquired 

I 


646 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


control of the country. Since this event a change has 
taken place. 

The first English governor-general of India ignored 
all laws and regulations bearing on this matter; sent out 
agents provided with the necessary means to encourage 
the cultivation of the plant ; built factories and established 
agencies for the preparation and sale of the goods — all 
for the purpose of raising revenue for the government. 

But the consumption did not increase fast enough in 
India. Hindus and Mohammedans could not easily be 
made to destroy themselves by the poison, and the govern- 
ment had to look around for a better market in order to 
swell this revenue. There are the Chinese. And they too 
are only pagans. 

To hell with them, the governor must have thought, 
if there only is a chance to make money. 

The Chinese heathen, however, were not aware of the 
excellent qualities of the Indian product, and they were 
not disposed to buy it. But where there is a will there is a 
way. The Chinamen had to be educated up to the use of 
the drug. It would cost some money of course. But just 
imagine what revenue would flow into the coffers of the 
government if the millions of China could be made to 
acquire a taste for Indian opium ! 

Two cargoes were sent to the celestial kingdom for 
free distribution, and government agents followed the ex- 
pedition to proclaim the gospel of opium to the Chinese 
pagans. The use of this article would blot out all sorrows 


A DEVILISH MISSION 


647 


and anxieties, make life bright and delightful and every 
now and then enable a person to take a flying trip into the 
higher and brighter regions, where everything is glorious 
and where a poor mortal may enjoy pleasures which can 
never be comprehended by him who does not indulge in 
the use of Indian opium. 

The Chinese at first acted as the woman in the garden. 
Opium was ‘'a delight to the eyes’’ and '‘to be desired to 
make one wise,” and as it did not cost anything they placed 
just a tiny bit of it into the pipe made for that purpose. 
The English agent lit the pipe. 

"Wasn’t it beautiful?” he asked the Chinaman when he 
came to. 

"Where have I been?” the pagan asked. 

"In heaven,” said the representative of the Christian 
government. "Be not afraid. Use diligently what I have 
given you, and next year I will bring some more. Then 
you will not get it for nothing; but I will sell you this 
blessing reasonably cheap.” 

And he kept his word. He returned with one thousand 
chests of opium. The trade at first was somewhat slack, 
only those who had already fallen being willing to buy. 
But these were in turn used for the purpose of proclaiming 
the great blessing of the new article until the sale in a few 
years had not only grown to considerable volume but 
had also brought a handsome revenue into the treasury of 
the government at Calcutta. 

But the Chinese officials soon became aware of the dan- 


648 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


ger with which this traffic threatened the nation. The em- 
peror appealed to the English government with an earnest 
protest against the opium trade, pointing out that thou- 
sands of strong men had been reduced to mental and 
physical wrecks by the use of Indian opium. He employed 
all the arguments known to diplomacy; but England had 
a chance to make money, and that consideration deter- 
mined her course. 

The emperor now tried his best to stop the opium trade 
by law, prohibiting the importation, sale and use of the 
poisonous stuff, and prescribing severe punishment for 
violating the law. 

But England was not to be checkmated. The Chinese 
empire was large, and some of its officials could easily be 
bribed. Smuggling, therefore, was the next step resorted 
to, and the sale, instead of being stopped, increased faster 
than ever. Now the emperor prescribed capital punish- 
ment for smoking opium and even had a number of guilty 
persons executed in the English warehouse to make the 
representatives of ''civilization’’ understand what a nefari- 
ous traffic they were engaged in. But this only gave the 
English government a chance to put on angry looks and 
demand satisfaction for such an offensive procedure. 
Meanwhile the English agents were agitating in favor of 
having a license substituted for the prohibitory law, ex- 
plaining that such a measure could be made to yield the 
Chinese government a large revenue. 

But the pagan emperor would not listen to such diabol- 


THE OPIUM WAR 


649 


ical arguments. On the contrary he made up his mind to 
destroy the dangerous traffic root and branch. A commis- 
sioner was appointed to see that all imperial edicts relat- 
ing to this matter were strictly enforced. This commis- 
sioner came to Canton in 1839 confiscated no less than 
three million pounds of opium belonging to the English. 
The value of the goods was put at ten million dollars. The 
emperor gave orders to dump the opium into ditches dug 
for the purpose, mix it with lime, salt and water and turn 
the mixture into a creek which carried it to the sea. 

This act caused England’s greatest queen, Her Majesty 
Victoria, to declare war against China in 1840. Her maj- 
esty’s warships soon turned up, forts were bombarded, 
soldiers were landed, and the great queen was victorious 
everywhere, leaving thousands of butchered Chinamen 
who sacrificed their lives for a holy cause. But the powers 
of hell and Queen Victoria’s government stood behind the 
soldiers, and China was defeated and had to sue for peace. 

England demanded that four new harbors be opened 
and that she be permitted to import opium. Besides, the 
island of Hongkong and twenty-one million dollars were 
exacted as indemnity for the expenses of the war. It goes 
without saying that China had to yield to these demands, 
and the Christian (?) nation conquered the heathen nation. 
Or what? 

It is claimed a prominent preacher in London has said 
that the war with the Boers is the darkest spot on the 
government of Victoria. He is mistaken. This is not only 


650 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 

the darkest spot on the government of Victoria but the 
blackest and most infernal act recorded in the world’s his- 
tory of wars. 

I once saw a painting representing England’s popular 
queen facing an African prince, who asked where the secret 
of England’s greatness was to be found. She handed him 
a Bible, saying: “This is the secret of England’s great- 
ness.” 

This contained a truth. The blessings which the Bible 
has brought England are many and great, and the influ- 
ence of England’s many Christian men has been far-reach- 
ing. But if this great queen and this powerful people have 
been conscious of this fact, she and her people must also 
have been prepared to be fully responsible for the manner 
in which this power and greatness from God have been 
wielded. 

It is true that the secret of England’s greatness lies in 
the Bible. But in the same book lies also the secret of 
England’s great fall — or does it require a prophet to pre- 
dict this? He that has some knowledge of the course of 
history and believes in the truths of the Bible knows that 
the Lord is an avenger of all recreancy to the duties im- 
posed by him, this rule applying to nations as well as to 
individuals. He did not spare his own people, Israel, and 
why should he spare a nation which, though better in- 
formed and more enlightened, has been still more recreant? 

As surely as the Lord of Heaven holds the fate of the 
nations in his hand, the English nation will some day be 
called upon to square accounts . The fact that this day has 


WARNINGS 


651 


not already come is due to those believers in the Bible who 
never cease protesting against the unjust foreign policy 
which England has pursued during the past one hundred 
years. The late Gladstone, supported by the pious element 
of the English people, was one of those who checked evil 
influences and endeavored to conduct the government of 
Victoria in closer conformity with the truths of the Bible 
and the Christian code of morals, and there are those who 
still believe that his statesmanship was as able as his piety 
was ardent. Will somebody take his place, or is the cup 
almost full? Time will tell. 

Other Englishmen have also raised powerful voices 
against this particular national sin. As an instance of this 
we quote a few lines from Rector Cleife’s ‘‘Darkest Eng- 
land.’’ He is himself a patriotic Englishman and knows 
what he says : 

“I have called the opium traffic ‘England’s Greatest 
National Sin’ for these, among other reasons: 

“i. Because we allow our Indian subjects to indulge 
in a vice which is unlawful in this country. 

“2. Because we sell opium in Burmah against the re- 
ligion and wishes of the people. 

“3. Because we sell it to China, and will not allow an 
extra tax to be put on it when carried inland, thus prevent- 
ing any province of China from protecting itself by a local 
prohibitive duty. 

“4. Because it is a very great hindrance to Christian 
missions. 

“Dr. Medhurst tells us, ‘Almost the first words uttered 


652 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


by the Chinese is, ‘‘Why do Christians bring ns opium? . . . 
The vile drug has destroyed my son, has ruined my brother, 
and well-nigh led me to beggar my wife and children. 
Surely those who import such a deleterious substance, and 
injure me for the sake of gain, cannot be in possession of a 
better religion than my own.” 

Rector Cleife further writes : 

“Perhaps there is no greater anomaly than the fact that 
her Most Gracious Majesty is both ‘Defender of the Faith’ 
and also a dealer in opium, selling it in very large wholesale 
quantities; and what perhaps seems still more anomalous 
is that a single cake of the drug can be purchased at the 
Government stores for other than medicinal purposes. 
Moreover, her Majesty identifies herself with it so closelj 
that her initials are placed on the drug, and the stores are 
guarded by her soldiers. 

“When our beloved queen in 1858 took possession of 
India, the proclamation announcing her direct control ren- 
ders homage to our national faith in God and in Christ, 
‘Firmly relying ourselves on the truth of Christianity, and 
acknowledging with gratitude the solace of religion.’ Let 
these noble words inspire us to use every effort, that no one 
may say : The same person who is styled ‘Defender of the 
Faith’ may also be described as ‘A seller of opiumballs for 

other than medicinal purposes.’ 

“The ‘Annual Reports on the Administration of the Bom- 
bay Presidency’ show that opium which is grown, manu- 
factured, and sold by the Indian representatives of our 


WARNINGS 


653 


Christian queen, Victoria, is beginning to find its way into 
Africa. In her early womanhood she was able to tell an 
African chief that the secret of England’s greatness was the 
Bible. The majority of Englishmen concur with that state- 
ment. Let them therefore demand that our Asiatic policy 
be not contrary to the teaching of God’s Word and thus 
uphold our religion and the honor of our beloved queen.” 

Let the Christian men — and women too, for that mat- 
ter — of England heed the appeal of Rector Cleife, urge and 
urge again until the people are so thoroughly aroused that 
nothing can prevent the washing away of this stain at least, 
the ugliest stigma with which history has yet branded any 
civilized nation. 

Or does anyone believe that England’s opium traffic 
does not look so base and infamous in the eyes of the sober 
and critical historian as I have represented it? For the ben- 
efit of him who thinks the author of this book is guilty of 
exaggeration I shall quote a few lines from Cesare Cantu, 
one of the greatest historians of the world : 

^'Though the English would seem to owe some con- 
sideration to a country with which they carried on an im- 
mense trade and which supplied them with tea, an article of 
trade which is now looked upon as necessary, they de- 
manded that the Chinese should change both laws and 
customs, and after the manner of smugglers they defied the 
authorities by violating the regulations prohibiting the im- 
portation of opium. The emperor was shocked at this out- 
rage on the part of the foreign barbarians that so reck- 
lessly transgressed his boundaries and his laws and encour- 
aged the vices of his subjects, and the trouble led to bloody 
encounters, which developed into a formal war.” 


FIFTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. 


In Shanghai. — To eat with Sticks. — The Chinaman’s Sense c\^ 
Beauty. — Small Feet. — Christian Missionaries in Chinese Dress. — The 
Late Rebellion — Locating the Responsibility. 

From Hongkong I sped homeward, A stay of twelve 
hours did not leave much time for sight-seeing at Shang- 
hai. But I had the satisfaction of seeing how a genuine 
Chinese city looks. 

The portion ceded to the Europeans constitutes a sort 
of suburb down to the river. I had to hunt up the American 
consulate, the more so because the consul w^as a Minneapo- 
lis man. But I found only Chinamen dressed in silk at the 
office. 

Shanghai proper is enclosed by a high wall. You may 
ride in a wheel-barrow or a jinrikisha up to the gate. But 
inside of this the streets are not wide enough for any kind of 
vehicle. Those who do not want to walk must be carried, 
or else they can get absolutely nowhere. 

A guide took me through the narrow passages, and in 
less than three minutes I lost my bearings entirely. 

I was conducted from trading booths to tea gardens 
and pagan temples, and everywhere my guide bawled and 
bragged about the glorious sights which he showed me. 

[ 654 ] 


IN SHANGHAI 


655 


A drinking booth in a bizarre tea garden cut an important 
figure in his mind. Only people of distinction came there 
to spend a few pleasant moments in company with their 
friends. This was one of Li Hung Chang's favorite resorts 
when he was in the city. 

In the pagan temples he urged me very persistently 
to ha^^c the priests make an offering in my behalf. It would 
do no harm and might do me some good. The white 



Shanghai. 


man’s God was all right as far as his field extended. But 
in Chinese waters every sensible European ought to pay 
some attention to the Chinese gods. In one temple he was 
bound to have ten cents. I gave him the money. Imme- 
diately he handed the coin to a priest, who pulled out a 
bunch of strips of paper which he burned. Now, my guide 
assured me, I could continue my journey with greater 
safety. By this ceremony the priest had offered a prayer 
for me. It cost me five cents in United States monev. 
Cheap enough. The natives do not pay that much. But 


656 


DIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


there are so many of them that I trust the priest is doing 
a good business at his stand anyway. 

At first it occurred to me that the prices of Chinese 
goods were rather high, and I said so to my guide. ‘‘You 
no ask plices,'’ he said. “Me ask. Me no Eulopean fooL 
Me Chinaman.’’ 

Next time I let him ask for the price. But the mer- 
chants suspected that I wanted the goods and put their pri- 
ces accordingly. Then the old man became angry — he was 
advanced in years — and they soon were in the midst of an 
excited quarrel, which no doubt would have lasted longer 
if I had not laid hold of the arm of my man and told him 
to follow me. 

“Me teach them, me no Eulopean fool, me show, me 
Chinaman,” and he waved his arms in all directions. 

What is a missionary to do with himself when he comes 
to a city like this? I thought to myself. The problem is 
not so difficult in cities having European colonies. But 
for a European to go among the Chinese and settle there 
requires firmness and courage. Seven-foot streets, house 
upon house everywhere, and everyone of them swarming 
with human beings of all ages and sizes. Many places in 
India presented a discouraging aspect; but this is far 
worse. A few hours gave me all that I could stand, and 
I was glad to come outside the wall again and breathe 
fresh air. 

But for all that it would be unfair to say that the 
Chinese are a thoroughly filthy people. Dirty as the 


ro EAT WITH STICKS 


657 


streets were, men could be seen tripping along without 
soiling their shoes, and even people whose clothing bore an 
unmistakable stamp of poverty were scrupulously clean. 
In many cases I saw how they prepared their food, and 
almost invariably I would have dined with them without 
hesitation if I had been very hungry. I would have been 
obliged to employ my own methods, however, for it would 
have been a long and laborious process for me to fill up an 
empty stomach by using two slender pins instead of a 
spoon. Perhaps I might have followed the example given 
by some others in my presence : they put the bowl to the 
mouth, using the pins only for shoving the food into the 
mouth; but I plead ignorance as to whether this method 
indicates good manners. It occurs to me that the pins are 
to be held by the fingers of the right hand, one finger being 
placed between the pins. The two little tools must be 
managed in such a way that they take up the food as if in 
pliers and carry it to the mouth. It is a trick which I shall 
not undertake to learn until I have more time to spare, and 
even then I may possibly shrink from it. But John China- 
man makes it work. 

What the Chinaman holds to be fine he stubbornly per- 
sits in using even if it proves to be unpracticable. His style 
of dress, for instance. He looks upon it as more beautiful 
than ours, and on no account will he give it up. Whether 
it is comfortable or not is out of the question. 

To us it would seem uncomfortable for a lady to have 
such small feet that she cannot use them to walk on. But 


658 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


it is an old fashion. Men of good breeding cannot brook 
ladies having well developed feet, and mothers who want 
their daughters married to prominent men must see that 
their feet grow no bigger than they were when they were 
born into the world. 

It causes excruciating pain to the girl to have her feet 
squeezed and crippled. For years she must suffer unspeak- 
ably, until the circulation of the blood is stopped and the 
deformed limbs become insensible. Her moans and 
cries doubtless touch her mother^s heart ; but the thought 
of her daughter’s future requires obedience to the dictates 
of fashion, and fashion prevails. 

Poor people cannot afford to practice this torture upon 
the feet of their daughters. What makes the practice so 
expensive is the necessity of keeping servants to carry 
them. For that reason none but the daughters of rich 
people and people of rank have their feet dwarfed. 

I saw several Christian missionaries wearing Chinese 
garments. Cannot say that it was very becoming to them. 
They must suppose that this will bring them nearer to the 
people. But I suspect that the natives will not think so 
much more of them on account of this condescension. 
They cannot conceal their European origin by means of 
clothes, especially if their hair is red ; and if I was correctly 
informed the Chinese think that the European ^^arb is 
good enough for white people, while a European is apt to 
be suspected of being conceited when he wears a manda- 
rin’s uniform and tries to imitate the manners of the Chi- 
nese nobility. 


THE LATE REBELLION 659 

At the time of this writing there is rebellion in China. 
The Christian missionaries have been either murdered or 
chased out of the country. The great powers have sent 
considerable military forces to Peking to relieve the lega- 
tions of the different powers, which have been besieged for 
some time, and establish order. 

This rebellion has been characterized as a persecution 
of the Christians and a struggle against our civilization, for 
which reason attempts have been made to make the mis- 
sionaries responsible for the international complications 
growing out of this event. The missionaries, it is claimed, 
have grown bolder and bolder, forcing their way into the 
interior of the country, thereby arousing the hostility of the 
people and causing a general uprising. We often hear ex- 
pressions ,of this nature : ‘Xet the missionaries stay away. 
They have no business there. The Chinese have their reli- 
gion and civilization, which are good enough for them. 
And if the missionary is bound to meddle with their affairs, 
then let him suffer for it without embarrassing the govern- 
ment of his own country. The different governments 
ought to absolve themselves from all obligations to protect 
the lives and property of missionaries in other countries,” 
etc. 

Such expressions as these betoken more of ignorance 
of the matter in question than of evil intentions. 

It is a grave mistake to suppose that the missionaries 
and Christianity are directly responsible for the rebellion in 
China. And it is equally far from the truth to claim that 


66o 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


the uprising of the so called Boxers is aimed at the Chris- 
tian civilization. In fact the Chinese are not so unsuscep- 
tible of religious influences from the outside world as they 
have been represented to be. 

This is proved by the prevalence of Buddhism. It is 
well known that this religion is comparatively new in Chi- 
na. Some two thousand years ago it flourished in India, 
for a time entirely eclipsing Hinduism. But when Hindu- 
ism again prevailed in India, Buddhism forced its way 
across the Himalayas into Thibet and thence into China 
and Japan. But it was introduced by missionaries who 
were not followed by a host of venders of opium, dealers 
in liquor and ravishers of women. 

It may as well be admitted that not a few missionaries 
are sent out who ought to have remained at home, because 
their stubbornness and foolishness make them do more 
harm than good in the missionary field. Furthermore, 
China is a missionary field that requires special gifts which 
very few European men and women possess. It requires 
capacity for learning the language of the country, interest 
in the traditions of the people, its religion, mode of think- 
ing and general habits of life, as well as eagerness to be- 
come familiar with these subjects; but above all a warm 
and generous heart which not only takes pity on the people 
and is willing to suffer for them, but which is keenly alive 
to the particular distress under which they are laboring; 
a heart which enables the missionary to identify himself 
unreservedly with them and endeavor to carry their bur- 


LOCATING THE RESPONSIBILITY 


66i 


dens. When such a missionary is permitted to continue 
his labors in a community which the rumor of a European 
merchant has not reached, he needs not entertain any fear 
for his life. The Chinaman may find it difficult to under- 
stand the doctrines of the Christians. But there is one 
language which all heathens understand, and that is the 
love which they find here. It takes Jews or Christian phar- 
isees to kill people on account of such love. None but men 
who have hardened themselves against love can kill the 
Lord’s messengers. 

Unfortunately, however, the Chinaman has learned to 
know the white man through the opium peddlers, Eng- 
land’s opium war and business men of other nationalities ; 
and as all white men claim to be Christians the Chinaman 
judges Christianity according to the acts of those represen- 
tatives of Christianity — acts which he has seen and still can 
see from day to day with his own eyes. He concludes that 
a person is only what his religion has made him. 

To him the white man’s behavior looks devilish, and in 
keeping with this the Chinese call the Europeans ‘‘white 
devils.” 

Now the missionaries enter where the rumor of the 
European outrages has gone before them, and they are 
naturally looked upon as the pioneers of the religion and 
civilization which are responsible for the foreign evils which 
have made the whole people tremble. 

This is doubtless the cause of the uprising against the 
missionaries in China. If the different governments, and 


6^2 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


more particularly those of England and Russia, had acted 
honorably, conscientiously and in a Christian spirit towards 
China, and if the products of our civilization with which 
the Chinese had come in contact had corresponded with the 
requirements of the Bible, perhaps no one would have 
raised his hand against the missionaries. Place the respon- 
sibility where it belongs ! 

But it may not be untimely to ask whether it benefits the 
cause of the Kingdom of God in China to have the mission- 
aries appeal for protection to those very governments 
which have forced the opium trade and other ugly sins 
upon the country and disgraced themselves. It is certainly 
reasonable to ask how the missionaries expect to win the 
confidence of the people as long as they seek refuge among 
the enemies of the people. 

No one should seriously propose to have the govern- 
ments refuse to protect the missionaries when it proves 
necessary. But on the other hand it may be worth while 
to consider whether the Christian missionaries in China 
should occasionally side with the people and not prove 
themselves to be so dependent upon the temporal power. 


FIFTY-NINTH CHAPTER. 


Japan and the Japanese. — The Couse of the Enterprising Spirit of 
the Japanese. — Two Wednesdays in One Week. — Conclusion. 

Our next landing place was Nagasaki, Japan. V/e 
spent one day there. Thence we sailed through the Inland 
Sea to Kobe, where we also had one day’s rest. At Yoko- 
hama we remained twenty-four hours. 

The Japanese are a very interesting people. They are 
closely related to the Chinese, but differ considerably from 
them both in facial features and habits of life. Strange as it 
may seem to us they have the same written language but 
entirely different spoken languages. The written char- 
acters mean the same to the Chinese and the Japanese. But 
the pronunciation of one people is entirely unintelligible 
to the other. 

In ancient times the emperor was supposed to be a 
god or his vicar, and the divine worship of the Japanese 
consisted mainly of obedience to the commands of the em- 
peror. At a later date Buddhism was introduced and 
mixed up with the old religion of the people, and there 
is scarcely a place in the whole world where Buddha has 
been held in greater esteem and honor than in Japan. I 
[663] 


664 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


entered several of the temples and can truly say that he 
is doing well, excepting that he is suffering from old age. 
But it appeared to me that a little fresh paint would im- 
prove his looks in many particulars. 



The Harbor of Nagasaki. 

The Japanese are not so afraid of foreigners as are 
the Chinese. They are glad to see a European and learn 
from him. They are polite and accommodating and do 
not resort to abusive language even if there are grounds 
for doing so. For instance, when a tourist walks through 
a large and elegantly furnished Japanese store to look at 
its numerous curiosities, have their prices given and their 


JAPAN AND THE JAPANESE 


665 


merits explained, but leaves after an hour’s stay without 
buying anything, the proprietor remains amiability per- 
sonified during the whole time, accompanies the tourist 
to the door, bows profoundly and extends a most cordial 
invitation to him to call at the store on some other occa- 
sion. 



The Bronze-Horse Temple at Nagasaki. 

In all the harbors were large steamers flying the Japa- 
nese colors. Ten years ago a J’apanese steamer was a rare 
object. The Japanese have learnt from the Europeans to 
build ships and to trade, and they have already done 
enough to prove that they are fully able to compete suc- 
cessfully with their teachers. 

How can this Japanese progressiveness be accounted 
for? Do the Japanese differ so greatly from the Chinese? 


666 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


Hardly. Originally the Japanese were as much afraid of 
foreign influences as are the Chinese. But during the past 
one hundred years the Japanese have come in contact with 
the outside world in an entirely different way. Japan was 
opened to the world without war and bloodshed, by a na- 



^ Jinrikisha. 

tion which had no opium smugglers to protect. In the 
year 1853 the government of the United States succeeded 
in opening negotiations with the emperor of Japan, and 
the result was a commercial treaty which was signed at 
Yokohama the following year. Through the commercial 
connections thus established between America and this 
country the people gradually learned to see that closer re- 



CAUSE OF JAPANESE SPIRIT 


667 


lations to foreign peoples might be advantageous, and soon 
the same privileges were extended to England, France and 
Russia. Such rank injustice as that perpetrated upon 
China has never been offered to Japan. The Japanese 
have learned to know the best traits of the foreigners. They 



A Japanese Kitchen. 


begin to perceive that we are human beings and not 
‘Vhite devils’’, as the Chinese call us. 

Whether the missions have any great future in Japan, 
I cannot tell. I visited several schools in one of the 
cities. They were all American institutions. One of them 
was a learned apparatus which compares very favorably 
with an American college. Pagans as well as Christians 


668 


LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 


are admitted to these schools. I was told that several 
members of every graduating class are baptized, and one 
of the missionaries informed me with a certain satisfac- 
tion that a goodly proportion of them are of noble birth, 

\ 

which fact he took to be a good omen. 

Another authority claimed with considerable empha- 
sis that the educational development of the people is char- 
arterized by a rationalistic and sceptical tendency; that 
many of the pupils of the Christian schools have lost their 
faith in Buddha ; but that this loss has not been made good 
by the spirit and ardor of Christianity. 

Little can be said about the voyage across the Pacific 
ocean. I was eager to return home. It took over two 
weeks from Yokohama, Japan, to Vancouver, British 
Columbia, and in one of them we had two Wednesdays. 
We came to the i8oth meridian on a Wednesday, and when 
we reached the western hemisphere we found it to be 
one day behind, the day of the week there being Tuesday. 
The only thing we could do was to submit and run in 
another Wednesday. 


The journey is successfully completed, and only the mem- 
ories remain. They are not all recorded in this book. Many 
of the best ones are left out, and so are a few that cause me 
pain whenever they are recalled. I have had occasion to 
compare Christianity and paganism, civilization and bar- 
barism, and I feel both grateful and humiliated. Grateful 
for the* unspeakable mercies showered upon us who have 


CONCLUSION 


669 


been living under the influence of the gospel of light and 
have been benefited by the progress of the nineteenth cen- 
tury. But humiliated on account of failure to perform 
the duties imposed by those blessings. 

The darkness of paganism is great, and the burdens 
of the nations are heavy. The Christian missions have 
accomplished great things. But there is still an immense 
host to be gathered in. ‘The harvest is plenteous, but 
the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the 
harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest.” In 
view of the vastness of paganism the Christian missions 
are still like glimpses of light in the darkness. 











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